Ruling with a New Frame novel · Chapter 23 of 24
Chapter 23: Seven Candles
On the morning I turned seven, there was a cake in the kitchen.
It was a lopsided yellow cake with white icing, and the housekeeper had put seven candles on it and lit every one.
I stood in the doorway and did not go in.
In the whole of Linnet's short life, no one had lit a candle for her.
The Rules held that a feast is a danger, and a child's birthday is a feast.
"Well, come in," said my grandfather from the head of the kitchen table. "It's a cake, not a court."
He wore a cardigan instead of the suit now, and he sat with his cane hooked on the chair.
The great-aunt sat beside him in her wheelchair, with a paper hat on her white head.
She dared anyone with her eyes to mention it.
My father stood by the stove in a work shirt with the sleeves rolled, because he was going to the mill after.
He had a bandage across his knuckles.
He had come to the table every morning that week, and he had not said sorry once.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–12 of Ruling with a New Frame are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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