"Why?" Aveline asked. "Lydia, we need to get justice."
She could feel the hostility radiating from Lydia's family. Every face seemed to tell her she was unwelcome, that she had no right to interfere in their affairs. But she ignored them. She had not come here to argue with Lydia's family. She wanted to hear the answer from Lydia herself.
Lydia looked exhausted. There was an apologetic helplessness in her eyes, and when she saw the disappointment on Aveline's face, her lips trembled. She seemed unable to bring herself to say the words again.
"Who are you to interfere?" Lydia's mother demanded, shoving Aveline by the shoulder. "Why can't you leave us alone?"
"Ma!" Lydia cried.
Her older sister immediately pressed a hand to Lydia's shoulder, urging her to lie back and calm down.
But Lydia's mother wasn't finished.
