*Lila*
The morning feels heavier than yesterday, as if the air itself is cut from all the fear running loose through the village. My stomach flips every time I picture the women’s wrists bound, and the way the crowd pressed close, hungry to watch. I can’t just sit still in the Nurse kitchen pretending the world hasn’t cracked open.
“Goody Nurse,” I say. “I’m going to visit Mistress Carter. Is there anything I can bring her for you or any message I can take?”
She glances up, worry already flooding her expression. “No, but do be careful, my child. The village is darker today, full of threats and accusations.”
I nod, wrapping a borrowed shawl around my shoulders and stepping outside. The path to Miriam Carter’s cottage lies just beyond the last huddle of houses, a strip of dirt threading
