A knock tapped lightly against the table.
Nina lifted her head.
Lady Emory stood before her, hands folded behind her back, her dark eyes resting steadily on Nina's face as though she had been waiting a while for her attention to return.
"What?" Nina asked before she could stop herself.
Silence met her.
She noticed the room then — books open, chairs still, every girl watching her quietly.
Nina straightened in her seat, smoothing her expression, fingers brushing the crease of her dress.
"What did you say? I didn't quite catch."
Emory held her gaze, studying her for a moment. One brow lifted slightly, not unkind, only observant. Then her mouth softened into a faint smile.
"I asked if you had any questions," she said evenly. "We did not go over this yesterday."
Questions.
The word pressed faintly against Nina's thoughts, brushing too close to something she refused to examine.
She smiled instead.
"No," she replied, voice light. "I don't have any questions."
