The Innocents Chapter 7

In which a modest tea-room welcomes the distinguished Mrs. Vance Carter and her daughter, whose sharp tongues and haughty remarks cut through the humble establishment’s weary air like a frost in early autumn. Amid delicate lettuce sandwiches and lukewarm tea, the hosts endure an unspoken judgement that weighs heavily on their hearts, revealing the quiet cruelties of class and dissolved pride.