Patience

Previously

…They walked through the throng, a small island of quiet purpose in the swirling sea of the ballroom. The music seemed to swell again, but this time, it felt like a fanfare, a prelude to something entirely new, something wild and beautiful, like the storm-swept moor captured on canvas. As they stepped out of the ballroom and into the cool, fragrant air of the conservatory, Eleanor knew, with a certainty that settled deep within her bones, that she had just taken her first step towards a freedom she had only ever dared to dream of. The scent of jasmine filled her lungs, and for the first time, it smelled like possibility.