She was on her feet before she reached the second paragraph.
Whatever the letter contained, it produced in her the immediate practical response of a woman who had navigated imperial politics long enough to understand when circumstances required her to stop being comfortable and start being present.
Everybody around was startled seeing her reaction, as it was unusual for her to lose calmness.
She handed the letter to her nearest attendant with quiet instructions, called for her clothes and her carriage in the same breath, and walked back into the residence without another word to the messenger or a backward glance at the abandoned tea.
Behind her the musician played on for a moment, uncertain whether the session had ended, before someone closed the courtyard door and made the answer clear.
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She was not the only one receiving letters that afternoon.
