He looked across their faces.
"Do you agree?"
The maids stared at him, uncertain. The words were kind, but they couldn't see where he was leading them, and the confusion was plain in their expressions.
Quinlan smiled and nodded to Aurora.
She opened the pouch, revealing a row of deep crimson pills nestled in soft cloth. One for each of them.
"If you want this decision to be made by your will and not by the cruel passage of time, eat those. One each."
There was no hesitation.
Not a single one of them asked what the pills were. Not a single one examined them or held them up to the light or inquired about side effects. Their master told them to eat, and they ate. Emily placed hers on her tongue and swallowed without breaking eye contact. Clarisse took hers with the practiced grace of a woman who had spent decades following instructions she trusted. Cecile popped hers like candy.
The effect was not dramatic.
