Chapter 55

FIVE HUNDRED YEARS AGO Three days. That’s how long it had been since the night of the dedication ceremony. How long it had been since Rose disregarded every caution and gave in to her forbidden desires. She could also say it was how long it had been since she last saw Andrew, but that wouldn’t be exactly true. She had seen him that morning for the first time since they parted in the woods that night. He had been walking out of the hall while she walked in for breakfast. Her heart had sped in her chest as she scrambled to find the words to say to him. But he had walked right past her as if she was an invisible ghost. She had stood frozen to the spot, taken aback by his attitude. There was no question that he had noticed her. She was right outside the hall when he walked out, and he went past her on his way to the staircase. So there was no doubt that he had intentionally ignored her. She had spent the last three days yearning to get a glimpse of him. He took up all of her thoughts. She