The smile didn't drop from Laura's face until the front doors closed behind them.
Warm light spilled from the Cross estate windows onto the stone steps, soft and golden, almost welcoming. From the outside, it looked like any other elegant family home. Calm. Respectable. Safe.
She knew better.
She stood beside Daniel at the top of the stairs while Margaret fussed over coats and Vivian talked too loudly about nothing in particular. Laura kept her expression gentle and composed, hands folded neatly in front of her, the perfect picture of a polite future daughter-in-law.
"Thank you for dinner," she said sweetly. "It was lovely meeting everyone."
Margaret beamed at her in a way she had never once smiled at Clara. "You must come again soon, dear. It's refreshing to have someone so refined around here."
Vivian nodded eagerly. "Way better than some people Daniel's brother brings."
Laura laughed lightly, soft and modest, as if embarrassed by the compliment.
"Goodnight," she said.
