Ella looked around, feeling very off-kilter as she did so, but it was necessary and Mr. Brinsley was there supporting her. They were safely out in the fresh air and away from anyone else overhearing their conversation as far as she could tell.
"I've never been close with my mother, I don't mind telling you," Ella said somewhat sadly. It was a fact, and one she'd grown used to over her fifteen years. "But Daphne and I, we've grown close recently. I always hated her... well hate is such a strong word. I found her entirely disagreeable. ...But then she wrote to me and told me everything! About why she'd run away from us. About how she'd fallen madly in love with a Revolutionary! She'd followed her own mind, her own heart... It's just what I would do, Mr. Brinsley. Wouldn't you?"