e of urgency. Margaret had planted a seed in her heart, one that had begun to sprout with a terrifying force. She could no longer ignore the yearning for a life t

mother, attended teas with ladies from the highest echelons of society, and smiled dutifully as she conversed with potential suitors, all the while p

his voice rich with the promise of something real, something free. He had shown her the world out

ng herself that the marriage was her duty, her place in the world, but now that idea felt like a prison. And Alexander?

ing room, reading a letter from a family member,

Margaret is here to see you," t

cousin's visit today, and the sight of her offered both comfort and dread. What i

replied, her voice s

ue dress that accentuated her fiery hair. She smiled as she sat down across from

rgaret said, her voice teasing but sharp. "I t

feet.' That's the problem, isn't it?" She ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. "Everyt

closely. "So you've

I want, what I should want. But every time I think of marrying Ashcombe, I feel like I'm suffocating. And every time I th

, so it's him, isn't it? You've finally allowed y

If I abandon everything-my family, my title, my future-what's left for me? I'l

eedom from the expectations that have bound you for your entire life. What you're afraid of is losing the idea of wh

niable. The fear that had held her captive was still there, but now it was mingled with something els

to him, don't you

already know what you want, Evelyn. The question is, are you ready to

father, her society, her family-and for the first time, she felt as though she were standing on the edge of a precipice

her voice trembling. "I don't know

ford Manor, you'll find a world of possibilities. It won't be easy, and there will be challenges, but it will be yours.

path, to stay within the safety of the world she knew, but her soul, t

before she could stop them. "I need to see if what I f

en go. The sooner you make the decision, the sooner y

the first time in weeks, she didn't feel suffocated by it. The uncertainty

oice thick with emotion. "Thank you

n's hand. "You've always had the courag

leaving, she realized. Leaving the life she had been born into for a chance at something unknown, something beautiful and terrifying.