Chapter 43 Any Sorry Old Hole

• Nicholette didn't sugar coat the truth as she did with her sisters. She did trust her sisters, of course. They were lovely young women who had always been there for her and had always been supportive. But they were too close to home for comfort. Her mother and father lived right there and shared most of the meals and met at night in the reading room and shared all kinds of activities. Little Raquel, who was by no means ‘little’ anymore, was following Father's footsteps and would most likely think of Erbe's safety first. And Amaranta did alert her of the possibility of an archaic brutal law that would deem Nicholette a traitor and have her executed.
• Nicholette loved Lady Verona very much, and respected her too. Maybe that was why she didn't feel close enough to share her afflictions and never in a million years could she describe to her mom what she did with Rafe in bed. Or even the simple kiss under the old oak overlooking his village. Telling her mother about it felt so off…
• And even with all these thoughts going through her head and all of the consequences for her, all Nicholette could think was that she couldn't put Rafe at risk. If he were to be caught… Perish the thought.