"I'd go mad," she replied, watching the gravediggers work in the drizzle. "I need work to keep my sanity, even if it's just teaching. I've never been the sort to just sit around and do nothing."

The Council didn't provide psychological counseling in instances like this, but someone had given Julianna the card of a private therapist. She didn't like the idea of talking to a doctor, no matter how qualified. Mother would have called it a crutch.

"They should sack me. I...I killed her."