The dress for the party which had been taken to be altered arrived just after noon.
Ava had been pretending to read in the sitting room when Charles announced the delivery. That had been her routine for the past few days because her room didn't fell like an escaped to anymore. It only made her wait to hear his footsteps like a fool. If she stayed in the living room, she would hear his voice when he arrived. Ava didn't want to admit that that was the reason for why she now liked the sitting room. Instead she gave herself another excuse in her head.
Charles voice carried that careful neutrality he always used when something mattered more than it appeared. The moment the box was brought in, a long, cream-colored box, wrapped in tissue and quiet importance, Ava's heart gave a small, traitorous leap.
It was ready.
