"I'm sorry, ma'am," Ava said, brow knitting, fingers tightly entwined in front of her. "It's a horrid situation to be in, isn't it?" She, of course, knew nothing firsthand of arranged marriages or the trials Viola was forced into simply because of the family she was born to, but she'd been around long enough to form a slightly unflattering opinion of Dr. Cress. Mostly because he scared her, but also the (righteous) anger she could clearly see on Viola's face.
"Not to mention he rather scares me," she added, voice low.