Catherine Hawthorne arrived just after nine, slipping through the door of Bloom House Floral as if she hoped the flowers might not notice her.
Lillian looked up from the counter and saw the difference immediately. Catherine always dressed well, even now. The tailoring was still impeccable. The coat still bore a quiet luxury that did not need labels. But something in her posture had changed. Her shoulders sat too high. Her steps were measured, careful, as if every movement had been rehearsed to avoid correction.
"Lillian," Catherine said, and smiled too quickly.
"You came," Lillian replied, setting aside the ledger. "Sit. You look cold."
"I am not cold," Catherine said automatically, then paused. "Tea would be nice."
Lillian moved without comment. She poured the water, steeped the leaves, and placed the cup in Catherine's hands before she could say anything else. Only then did Catherine sit.
She wrapped her fingers around the cup like it was an anchor.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The shop hummed softly around them. Water trickled in the small sink. Somewhere outside, a bicycle bell rang and faded. The flowers did what flowers always did. They waited.
"I should not be here," Catherine said at last.
Lillian did not respond. She had learned that people who started with that sentence needed to keep talking.
"My mother in law has a luncheon today," Catherine continued. "She expects me to attend. There will be donors. Old families. People who remember me from before." Her mouth tightened. "Before I became inconvenient."
Lillian folded her hands on the counter. "Did she say that?"
"No," Catherine said. "She never says anything directly. That would be rude."
"Of course," Lillian said.
Catherine let out a breath that sounded like a laugh but was not. "She asked Henry if he was enjoying his lessons. In front of everyone. He is six. He froze."
Lillian felt something sharp settle behind her ribs. "What did you do?"
"I smiled," Catherine said. "I thanked her for her concern."
She looked down at her cup, watching the steam thin. "That is what I do now. I smile. I thank. I endure."
Lillian studied her friend carefully. There were no bruises on Catherine's skin. No marks that would invite easy judgment. But there were other signs. The way Catherine flinched when the door chimed for a customer. The way her hands trembled slightly when she lifted the cup. The way she sat perched on the edge of the chair as if rest was a privilege she had forgotten how to claim.
"What happened," Lillian asked quietly.
Catherine hesitated. Then she said, "Margaret says I am careless."
"With what."
"With everything," Catherine replied. "With my speech. With my posture. With Henry. With appearances." She looked up then, eyes bright with a frustration that bordered on fear. "She says I make the family look unstable."
Lillian did not soften her voice. "Do you."
Catherine swallowed. "I am tired."
That, finally, was honest.
"I used to think marrying well meant safety," Catherine went on. "Structure. Rules. I believed if I followed them, I would be protected." Her fingers tightened around the porcelain. "No one tells you that the rules change when you stop being useful."
Lillian said nothing. She knew better than to offer solutions where none would be accepted.
A customer entered briefly, asking for a simple bouquet. Lillian filled the order quickly, her movements smooth and unhurried. When she returned, Catherine was staring at the floor.
"They want me at the heritage gala," Catherine said.
Lillian paused. "Who is they."
"The Hawthornes," Catherine said. "Margaret says my absence would be noted. She says Henry needs to be seen. That people will talk if I do not attend."
"They always talk," Lillian said.
"Yes," Catherine agreed. "But this time, they would be invited to."
She lifted her gaze. "I do not want to go alone."
The request hung between them.
Lillian understood the weight of it immediately. The gala was not a party. It was a stage. People did not attend to enjoy themselves. They attended to be observed, evaluated, and placed.
"You know what it costs," Lillian said.
"I do," Catherine replied. "But I also know what it costs if I do not go."
Her voice dropped. "Margaret hinted that Henry might benefit from a more disciplined environment. A school abroad. A short separation."
Lillian's jaw tightened. "She would not."
Catherine met her eyes. "She would."
Silence stretched.
Florentis Quarter existed just beyond the glass, calm and stubborn and real. Inside the shop, the air felt thinner.
"I am not asking you to fight them," Catherine said quickly. "I am only asking you to stand next to me. To remind them that I am not alone."
Lillian exhaled slowly. She had built Bloom House Floral to be a refuge, not a shield. She had chosen a life where her hands created beauty and her name carried no leverage. But Catherine was her friend. And Henry was a child being used as currency.
"I will come," Lillian said.
Catherine's shoulders sagged with relief so sudden it almost frightened her. "Thank you."
Lillian reached across the counter and covered Catherine's hand. "We will be careful."
Catherine nodded, but her eyes flicked to the front window as if she expected someone to be watching.
She stood a few minutes later, smoothing her coat back into place. The mask returned, polished and precise.
As she reached the door, she hesitated. "Lillian."
"Yes."
"Do you ever regret staying small."
Lillian considered the question. Then she shook her head. "Small things endure."
Catherine smiled, this time without strain, and left.
The bell chimed softly behind her.
Lillian remained where she was, the echo of Catherine's fear still settling into the shop. Her gaze drifted to the counter, where the unopened envelope lay exactly where she had placed it earlier that morning.
The Whitmore Foundation.
Lillian picked it up at last.
And for the first time, she wondered whether staying small would still be possible.