Chapter 8

• It was all I could do to not send apple spraying across the table. My mother's and father's faces went white, which Angelica ignored. "You are correct father, this is truly an honorable family you have matched me to." I painfully gulped down my mouthful, and looked between my panicked parents and Angelica's calm face. She played naive well and had tricked my mother, surprised me and sealed her decision with a political lock.
• My mother was trying desperately to think of a way out of her offer. She looked to my father whose shocked shrug of his shoulders said it all. They could not retract without a good reason. The real reason would have shamed the family. In the end, Mother silently acquiesced with a nod. There was a brief moment when my eyes connected with hers. I wasn't sure if I saw sorrow or anger, mixed with motherly concern.
• "What did you do?" I whispered sharply when the conversation shifted and we were ignored. I felt her hand beneath the table pat my leg.