Could that be why he always wore a black cravat instead of the customary white one? The thought left her visibly shaken. A black cravat was often worn in mourning, a silent acknowledgment of loss. How had she failed to see it before? The signs had been there all along, laid plainly before her eyes, yet she had overlooked every one of them.
Penelope looked on the verge of tears. She swallowed carefully, pulse racing wildly in her chest. She could barely keep a straight face, her face suddenly pale and almost ghastly. Her fingers had gone cold; her entire body was frozen to the spot.
The Queen continued quietly, one hand stroking the Pormerian gently. "Lady Evelyn became increasingly withdrawn after marriage. She stopped attending gatherings, stopped receiving callers, until eventually, she disappeared from society almost entirely."
