Second-Hand Dresses

Chapter 6: A New Home

Blood is precious to every family, even that spilled on the ground.

—Kompas Diovanim, Children of Stone (Act 1, Scene 3)

Lily sat in the middle of her mother's closed carriage and stared down at her gloved hands. She felt vulnerable and exposed despite the curtains drawn over the windows and the solid doors that were firmly latched. She glanced around at the familiar interior of the carriage and then returned her gaze back to her clasped hands.

The rest of Society would be talking about her now. Even if they weren't there when she drove away, it would be a matter of hours before the whispers would have traveled through the city. There were very few kudames that she knew about, so her fall into that title would be noteworthy for at least a few days.

She adjusted the bottom of her dress, a dark green with delicate golden embroidery. One fold had caught underneath her thigh. Even though no one could see her in the carriage, she still kept her movements discrete as she tugged the fabric free and settled back into place.

The carriage hit a pothole and everything jerked violently.

Lily slipped along the leather bench, her heels dragging against the carpeted floor. She grabbed the side railing tightly and held on. She hoped that the remaining road wouldn't be as rough.

As the rock glasses clinked loudly from the shifting, Tabithas spoke through the narrow window between Lily and the driver's bench. "Sorry, Bedame dea Kasin. I'm not familiar with this part of town. It smooths out in a chain or so."

Lily gritted her teeth and held tighter. "Thank you."

True to Tabithas' word, the carriage stopped bouncing after a few yards. Lily relaxed her grip, but didn't move her hand from the railing. There would be more rough patches in store for her; it was not unlike her fate in life.

She contemplated her future home, wondering about it. It was a good place, her mother promised that, but Lily knew it wouldn't be even a tenth the size of the Manor Rose. She only had a few abstracts to cling to: a two bedroom townhouse, a small bathroom, carriage service to her store for a year, and even a small stipend. A far cry from her mother's lavish lifestyle and one that Lily wasn't sure she could accept.

She twisted her fingers together, struggling with the tears. She was a spinster in everything but title. An unwanted woman.

Her despair kept her company for the rest of the ride. The carriage came to a halt and Tabithas hopped off as a woman half her age, her white hair fluttering as she did.

Lily turned on the seat and took a deep breath. She didn't know what to expect other than the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks.

The door creaked.

Her heart pounded.

Tabithas opened the door, stepping aside as she did to reveal the front of Lily's new home.

It was a two-story townhouse made of dark-brown bricks with white trim. The front door was ornate, white with a stained glassed window and the Kasin family crest hanging off the keystone. A wrought-iron fence protected a small garden in the front. The earth was recently tilled and brightly colored flowers filled the cramped space. The smell of fresh earth, sweet perfume, and sweat filled the air. Someone had planted two rose bushes next to the gate, no doubt to remind her of Manor Rose.

Lily took a deep, shuddering breath. "I-I can do this."

She took a step out of the carriage, lifting her head as she did to look up at the second floor. A balcony stood out above the front door, a matching iron railing giving it an empty look. Above it, the roof came to a rounded tip with a short railing along the gutters. Two stone flowers sat on the corners of the roof. The flower statues had one thick branch leading out to drain water away from the foundation.