[ It's not that she doesn't want to believe Nadine. On the contrary, Julie actually wants nothing more in the world than to believe that it's the truth. But she's a big believer in "fool me once", and, well, she's been fooled. She's been fooled and much worse than she ever thought, as it turns out; her trust is, understandably, very thin at the moment. With everyone.

She sits at the edge of the bed, back pressed to the headboard, and clutches a pillow to her chest. Her knees are drawn up, bare toes just peeking out from under the edge of her chemise -- her toenails are a sort of faded pink, the small jar of primitive polish still left on the bedside table. ]

I was thinking about going to Cadens soon. [ Her voice is quiet. ] I sold Susan's horse, so I have enough to get there, me and Baron. I wanted to save some more, so I wouldn't have to rush to get a job, but maybe it's better to just go.