Elara reached into her coat pocket, paused, then clicked her tongue softly as she withdrew her hand. She'd left her cigarettes in the car. Even if she had brought them, it wouldn't have mattered. Smoking was strictly forbidden at the main house.
The old woman of the Holloway household had decided to quit for her health and, as a result, banned cigarettes entirely.
Naturally, everyone complied. From the chauffeurs to the longtime staff who smoked in secret, they were all forced into abstinence.
In an age where people liked to boast about progress and freedom, one might expect someone to protest such authoritarian rules. But the head of the Holloway family was neither questioned nor challenged.
She was queen and tyrant both.
Elara's lips itched. She pressed them together, then checked her phone.
Still no contact from Lyra.
Surely, she hadn't died instead of just sleeping? When Elara had pressed a finger beneath Lyra's nose, there definitely had been light-feather breath.
