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June 24 - July 4, 2025
“Ah,” Uncle said, putting a hat on and tugging it low, “the dead speak to those who listen. Be quieter than even them.”
Death was not prejudiced by mortal things such as station or gender. It came for kings and queens and prostitutes alike, often leaving the living with regrets.
DEATH DOESNT DISCRIMINATE
BETWEEN THE SINNERS AND THE SAINTS
Once I was standing over the body, I no longer saw the person she was in life. I only saw the shell left behind, and curiosity took hold in the worst of ways.
One taste of warm blood is never enough, Miss Wadsworth.”
“Roses have both petals and thorns, my dark flower. You needn’t believe something weak because it appears delicate. Show the world your bravery.”
One needn’t be strong in only physical matters—a strong mind and will were fierce to behold as well.
Keeping me in a bubble equaled safety to him, no matter how wrong that notion was.
I loved and respected Uncle, but his passion often toed the line of madness when he was under pressure.
“Pretend I am as capable as a man? Please, sir, do not value me so little!”
“You simply need to hone your powers of deduction, Wadsworth. Look at the obvious and go from there. Most people ignore what’s right before their eyes. They believe they see, but oftentimes only view what they want.
“Any other words of wisdom I should take into consideration, my dove?”
“Wield your assets like a blade, Cousin. No man has invented a corset for our brains. Let them think they rule the world. It’s a queen who sits on that throne. Never forget that. There’s no reason you can’t wear a simple frock to work, then don the finest gown and dance the night away. But only if it pleases you.”
Their minds were crying out to be set free, but they refused to unbind them.
The lengths people went through to sell a paper was nearly as disgusting as the crimes themselves.
If only life’s problems could be solved with a frilly dress and a pair of slippers. To hell with the world around us, so long as we looked our best.
“Shame we missed them,” I said. I hoped to avoid them as much as possible this evening.
I felt like a wild animal, forced to dance around for people’s amusement, and loathed it.
I was not wicked, simply curious.
“She’s lovely because she’s my sister, Audrey Rose. I’m referring to the superior genes we have in common. My heart belongs only to you.”
“Feeling guilt does not make for a solid basis of trust. If anything, it makes me trust him less.”
“You were wearing the very same fragrance two nights ago,” he replied softly, staring at the ground, all hints of arrogance gone. “The night you visited the asylum and followed me to the Necropolis. I smelled it on you in the alleyway. I went to several shops trying to find the exact scent…” He looked at his hands. “I wanted to purchase it for you.”
Thomas omg
I’d like to remind each man who held such poor opinions of a woman that their beloved mothers were, in fact, women.
“Those who deserve respect are given it freely. If one must demand such a thing, he’ll never truly command it. I am your daughter, not your horse, sir.”
“I’d rather be a lowly wretch on the streets than live in a house full of cages. Do not lecture me on propriety when it’s a virtue you so grossly lack.”
He’d been hovering around me as if I were the sun his universe revolved around ever since he’d let me past one of his many emotional walls.
Just because blood might stain his hands did not mean I wanted his on mine. No matter if it was right or wrong.
“Seems a bit odd, don’t you think?” “No, Wadsworth,” Thomas said blandly, “sending a kidney through the mail is quite ordinary. I do it at least three times a week to remain fashionable. You ought to try it. Really impress the girls at tea.”
“Oh, yes,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Another of your fine ideas. As if I’d be messy enough to leave evidence behind. I’m with you practically day and night. Does that not absolve me from being a murderer? Or must we share a bed to prove my innocence? Actually… that might not be a terrible idea.”
“Have you lost your mind? You could’ve killed me!” “With a candle?” His brow quirked up. “Honestly, I’m flattered you think me so capable. Alas, I highly doubt I could do much damage with such a weapon.”
“If you ever try anything like that again, I will stab you in the foot, Thomas Cresswell.” “Ah. There’s something about you saying my name that sounds like a blessed curse,” he said. “If you can work up a good hand gesture to go along with it, that’d be exceptional.”
If you couldn’t rely on someone else’s money and shelter, you survived the only way you could.
Thomas held on to me as if I might turn to ash and disintegrate in his hands if he let go.
Realizing the very thing you love most could be taken away without warning made you clutch onto it.
“I do love it when you speak so maliciously, Wadsworth. Gives my heart a bit of a rush.”
“I’ve tried in my own way to protect you from the harshness and diseases of the world. But men—and young women—weren’t meant to live in gilded cages. There’s always a chance some contagion will find a way in.
