Velvet Boundaries - Part 15 🌸🌿💚

... Chapter Six – A Meeting of Modest Minds

Louisa sat very still on the bench beneath the chestnut tree, the hum of the city faint in the distance. The corset held her upright, but her breath, once shallow, began to settle into a steady rhythm. She felt each inhale expand against the firm lacing, each exhale softened by the veil that blurred the garden before her.

She lowered her gaze. Her gloved hands rested in her lap, fingers folded neatly, the beige cotton contrasting a little bit with the calico fabric of her skirt. She followed the row of tiny buttons at her sleeve cuff — each one painstakingly fastened that morning — and smiled faintly. ...