Chapter 19 : : : : : The Carnival
*Ember*
Aside from the library, the garden was my favorite part of the manor.
Though Alec had given me permission to explore the village on my own, I hadn’t been able to bring myself to leave yet. I told myself that it was because I would only get one chance at escaping, that I had to be absolutely sure that I could get away. If I ran away and was caught, I knew there would be serious consequences.
That’s the excuse I told myself, at least, as I enjoyed the mid-afternoon sunshine slanting down into the garden. The space around me was alive with dense bushes boasting fragrant red and white roses. Bees hummed lazily through the air around me, alighting from flower to flower with bumbling enthusiasm. The grass was soft beneath my bare toes. It was as free as I dared to get.