That would have put quite the cap on his plans to end the Spinsters.

She shifted restlessly in her bed, tossing over, as she had been doing all night. Barely receiving a moment of sleep for the torment coursing through her, and even now, she didn’t feel herself able to relax enough to rest at all.

The sky was beginning to lighten, she could see through her window, and it seemed pointless to pretend she would gain any respite. She sat up and pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, sighing heavily.

It was Christmas morning, and she had never felt so ill on this day in her entire life.

She sniffled, surprised there were still tears anywhere within her, and rose from the bed, wearily moving to her bureau to find the most comfortable, drab morning dress she possessed, settling on a dull gray calico with long, thin stripes of black. Seemed rather apt for her current mood.

Silently, she dressed, putting on sturdy black slippers and grabbing a thick, burgundy shawl before slipping out of her room and down the seemingly endless corridor of family rooms.

Her footsteps were just as soundless as she wished; imagine having to face any member of her family after missing the entire night, not knowing if she was the topic of discussion. It would have been too much, and she undoubtedly would have found herself either dissolving into tears or lashing out in anger. Not particularly appropriate on Christmas Day, especially if they were to be attending the Christmas Day services.

“Elinor?”

She groaned and reached for a long tendril of her loose hair, running it through her hands over and over as she paused a step. She exhaled and glanced towards her sister, not bothering to hide how perturbed she was.

“Emma?”

Her sister stood there in her nightgown and wrap, one of the twins asleep in her arms. Emma gave her small smile, gentle in every respect. “May we talk?”

“I don’t feel much like talking,” Elinor admitted, though she moved towards her older sister anyway. “At all.”

Emma swayed a little with her dozing daughter, nodding at her. “I can understand that, absolutely. But, if you can bear it, I would like to say a few things. All you need do is listen. Can you?”

So long as she was not about to be instructed, scolded, or insulted, she absolutely could listen to her. They had been rather close before Emma’s marriage, and it would actually be rather wonderful to sit for a moment with her older sister, even if Elinor had nothing to say.

She nodded silently and stopped before her, leaning against the wall, reaching for her niece’s pudgy hand.

“Yes. But only for a moment.”

“That’s all it will take,” Emma assured her. She indicated her sitting room with a tilt of her head. “Shall we sit?”