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Correspondence between TheLady Charlotte Louis and Miss Camille Forthright (Diana Yamsbee): Two days since Camille’s disappearance.
Dear Charlotte,
I consider you a friend already.
I’m glad you decided to join a party. They can be quite amusing as long as you avoid the more snake-like marquesses. As for lack of conversation, there are plenty of other diversions well spent, even in the country. I hear the insects found outside the city, for example, are beyond diverting.
Sincerely,
Miss Diana Yamsbee
Correspondence between The Lady Charlotte Louis and Miss Diana Yamsbee: One week after Camille ran.
Dear Diana,
I can’t tell you how overjoyed I am to hear about your interest in entomology! It is truly a fascinating area of study. Just the other day, I caught avanessa atalanta in the ivy(I suppose most people call it the “red admiral.” Which only prompts me to envision a formidable-lookingnaval man in a bright-red suit). Let me know if you have interest in a drawing of the species—the butterfly, not an admiral—and I would be happy to include one in my next letter.
Your friend,
Charlotte
P.S. What are your thoughts on theonthophagus joannae? (More commonly referred to as a dung beetle.)
Correspondence between The Lady Charlotte Louis and Miss Diana Yamsbee: Two months after Camille ran.
Dear Diana,
I hope this letter finds you well. It has been several weeks since your last correspondence and I’ve tried (and failed) to dismiss the idea that I’ve in some way earned your disapproval over my excitement over a beetle. They truly are intrinsic creatures when it comes to keeping an environment thriving and free of disease, but I have come to see now how such a topic may be less than ideal for proper discussion.
Please know I meant no offense, and I look forward to your next letter no matter what chastisements over my choice of subject may be included therein.
Your true and contrite friend,
Charlotte
Correspondence between The Duke of Lux and an anonymous sender: Two months, one week after she ran.
Dear Renard,
I lost him.
Correspondence between The Lady Charlotte Louis and Miss Diana Yamsbee: Two months, two weeks after she ran.
Dear Charlotte,
Please know, my lack of correspondence has nothing to do with your interests or choice of subjects. Even if I cannot fully appreciate the value of such a beetle, I can revel in your passion for life at its most basic.
The truth is, I’ve felt little in the way of wishing to reach out to anyone.
I’ve lost something precious to me... More than precious.
The real truth is, I’m broken. Angry and broken with no way of knowing if I’ll ever mend. I had such joy, such hope, and now it’s been snatched from me right when I’d finally thought I’d found a reason to start over.
I’m so sorry. I know I’m not making any sense.
Nothing makes sense to me right now.
