"I feel like a tiger in a cage." "Retract your claws for a little while and smile, for your aunt's sake." His scowl deepened. "You're enjoying this." Did I like every woman in church admiring his handsome face and assessing whether he'd be a good husband? Did I like that I sat beside him and not a single one of his admirers even knew I was there? No, I did not. I could see that I'd been quickly dismissed as the companion already confined to the spinster's shelf, an invisible person whom no one considered a threat. It left a sour taste in my mouth and a hollow ache in my chest.
