THIRTY FIVE | CHAGRIN

The rest of the afternoon dragged on with a room full of stiffs discussing the most depressingly dull topics. Ever since I saw Ian look at Catherine, my stomach felt queasy. Even the nonstop supply of coffee cakes and pastries that were brought in every hour didn't appeal to me.

Ian suggested going to the library in this building or exploring the city with Lyra and Mr. Prim. I wanted to leave too.

I didn't trust his ex though. What if they rekindled some old memories and ended up in each other's arms somehow? Someone has to play gooseberry and interrupt them from getting too cozy.

So I subjected myself to torture for four long hours, listening and nodding off.

The only thing I understood from all this was that many kingdoms collapsed all over the world, paving way for the British and Russian empires to expand colossally.

Even Julia's grandmother knew this much, and her stories were much more interesting.

Everyone in the room seemed to be div