Bella's POV
I bolted upright the instant Daisy's voice cut through my sleep. Yanking clothes over my nightgown, I demanded, "What's wrong?"
Daisy burst in, her face flushed with panic. "The guard just came running - Lady Ivy snuck out alone. She took the carriage and told him not to breathe a word to her parents. She's just a slip of a girl - what if something terrible happens?"
She specifically told the guard? I turned those words over in my mind, a bitter smile ghosting across my lips. If she really wanted to slip away unnoticed, why make sure someone would talk?
The timing wasn't lost on me either. Ivy had made her little visit to my quarters first. Now, when disaster struck, guess who'd take the blame?
But panic clawed at my chest. If they throw me out... how will I care for Grandmother? Who'll make sure she gets her medicine?
I rushed outside into the storm.
