GALE KAPUR & GENEVIEVE ALBRECHT
She had not expected the minor outburst, though, perhaps, she should have. It was no secret - at least, to her and Divina - that Gale was not handling this as well as her family thought she ought, and Genevieve could not rebuke her for it. Freedom, and all that such entailed, was a tempting desire, however out of reach it oft remained for nobility. It was quite easy to live with the misconception that the upper classes lived free lives, but they too were bound by chains. Not the ones that bound the lower class, but chains nonetheless.
"It is all anyone can say to you because it is all that can be offered," Genevieve told her quietly. "There are suggestions that can be made, but you have just stated that you cannot choose one over the other. If you are unwilling to walk away from your name, then you must be prepared to subvert control in other ways.
There is no way to truly be free, Gale." It was a difficult truth. Despite Genevieve's age and previous marriage, her mother still saw her as little more than a bargaining chip to be traded to the highest bidder. An uncharitable view of her mother, but more truth than lies. "You are not foolish for saying such, and I cannot say that I do not concur with you. You should not be forced to choose."
She placed a hand on Gale's to stop her from wringing her skirt into disorder. "You are looking for answers to questions that you have limited control over. Unless you seek to break that control, or devise an alternate plan with which you are comfortable, we can speak of these issues until Faram Himself walks the world." It was, perhaps, a bit harsh, but it was true. She did not lack sympathy for the young woman, and understood quite well the feeling of being trapped between her own desires and her desire to do her family proud, but it did not seem as though a compromise was something that Gale had yet considered.