Chapter 217: What are you even saying?
"Oh, my darling girl," Isabella murmured, her own eyes instantly filling with sympathetic tears. She crossed the room swiftly, the thick carpet silencing her footsteps. She didn't hesitate; she climbed right onto the large bed, the silken covers shifting under her weight.
She moved close to her daughter's huddled form and, with infinite tenderness, wrapped one arm around Esmeralda's trembling shoulders, using her other hand to try and gently coax the hidden face from its refuge against her knees.
"Dear, please, you must tell me what is burdening you so," Isabella pleaded, her voice a soft, worried murmur close to Esmeralda's ear.
She stroked her daughter's golden hair, which was coming loose from its elegant style. Isabella's face, aged yet still strikingly beautiful and lined with kindness, was etched with deep anxiety as she stared at the crown of Esmeralda's head.
"I hope it's nothing too serious. Whatever it is, Mother is right here."
