Part five

The punishment for stealing something is the amputation of a hand, if not both. So it made sense that the punishment for having an affair was the loss of a tongue.

‘Oh hush.’ My mother said after it was done. ‘If you wanted to prevent this then you should have kept out of trouble.’

I wondered if she knew the truth, if this had ever happened to her too.

The tailor came over to take my measurements for my dress. My mother had chosen a deep blue silk, the colour of purity, with golden roundels, to show off our wealth. It all seemed like a cruel joke. I would also wear her headdress, it had once been her mother’s, and her mother’s before that.

My mother talked with the tailor for hours. How happy she was of this union, how in love I was, and that I was so nervous I couldn’t utter a single word.  She dropped the proud mother act as soon as the tailor left and didn’t even look at me before exiting my room.

Night fell and I slipped out of my room, clutching a letter I had previously written to you. I ran outside and waited by the lake.