Orphan Bride

Chapter 2

Later that month, as she awaited the dowager”s appearance once her lady”s maid, Rowe—with whom Felisa was always at loggerheads—finished with her, Felisa took a seat in the drawing room and proceeded to remove a small booklet, the latest penny dreadful she was reading, from her reticule.

”What are you reading now?”

Damn him!

Now that he was home—and he was home all the time, it seemed—she couldn”t get away from him! He was everywhere she was and always pushing his nose into her business, trying to engage her in highly improper conversations when she would much rather be reading. At least, that was what she kept telling herself. And what she was reading always seemed to be matter of utmost concern to him.

As she”d carefully learned from their first encounter, when he”d just returned, that she couldn”t trust him not to steal her book away from her, Felisa carefully tucked it back into her drawstring purse, responding in a tone that sounded annoyingly guilty, ”Nothing.”

He merely stood in front of her with his hand out expectantly.

Not bothering to disguise her annoyed sigh, she dug it out again and handed it to him.

”I”m disappointed in you, Miss Heath.”

Why would him saying that, in that shiver inducing, scolding tone, cause her to feel an achy twinge in her heart and her stomach? Why should she care what he thought about her choice of reading material? As long as his mother didn”t object, she couldn”t see why his opinion would matter to her.

”It”s almost worse than Madam Bovary!” he exclaimed.

Luckily, he was interrupted by the arrival of his mother. ”What are you badgering the girl about now, Rune? You”re always accusing me of lecturing her, but from what I”ve seen since you got back, you”re not much better.” The dowager used her cane to poke her son sharply in the ribs. ”I”m warning you. I quite like Miss Heath, and if you make her uncomfortable enough that she feels she needs to leave me, I shall make your life quite unbearable.”

”The coach is waiting, your lordship,” Rochester, the butler, announced as he held the door open for them. They all trooped dutifully out, although Lord Sommerville stood to one side to let the ladies—even her—depart ahead of him.

The butler saw to his lordship, her lady”s maid to her ladyship, and one of the footmen helped Felisa on with her cape, for which she smiled at him and thanked him.

Joseph blushed at least as brightly at her as she did at his lordship, even though she”d said nothing toward—unlike the big man. The young man had a definite crush on her, and she didn”t mean to encourage him. She couldn”t help if her innate courtesy—toward everyone, regardless of their rank—caused him to see things he wanted to see, rather than the fact that she had no interest in him, or any other man, including the one who was again standing aside so that she could move through the door before him. At least she wasn”t going to have to spend the next half hour trapped in a carriage with Joseph.

The two of them sat on the bench opposite her, which meant she had an entire one to herself, for which she was grateful. It was a grand, ornate coach, with the family crest emblazoned on the doors in gold, but not the largest sized one, especially compared to the newer styles, and there was barely enough room for one person—especially a woman with her skirts—per bench seat. Although she”d much rather that than to share with her employer—who was free with that cane and would likely spend any time in that close proximity finding fault with something—or some things—about what she was wearing or how she”d fixed her hair.

Heaven forbid she should end up next to him, which would mean, inevitably, plastered against his side whenever they turned or potentially him plastered against her, depending on which way. He was big enough that he could crush even her, although he managed not to do so with his mother.

Somehow, she doubted that he would be quite that careful if she was the one who was next to him instead, although perhaps the fact that his mother would have been across from them would have made him behave. But she doubted that, somehow.

The idea of potentially being so close to him made her entire body flush hotly, and his mother, who kept at least as keen an eye as her son did, especially about her, immediately asked, ”Your face is red, Felisa. Are you not feeling well?”

The idea of feigning sickness and being allowed to stay home from the ball was extremely tempting, but she was concerned that he wouldn”t watch out for his mother as closely as she would, so Felisa demurred. ”I”m fine, thank you. It”s just a little stuffy in here.”

His lordship lowered the window of the coach a bit as soon as she said that.

”Thank you, sir.”

He inclined his head toward her, his tone just slightly mocking. ”You”re welcome, Miss Heath.”

At least looking after the dowager when she attended a ball was easy enough to do. Felisa accompanied her into the enormous, beautifully lit and appointed room, standing quietly by as her employer greeted nearly everyone she saw then took a seat with the rest of the older ladies who had been friends—or friendly enemies, rivals at first for the eligible bachelors to whom they all wanted to be married, then to whom they wanted to marry their daughters—their entire lives. The chances were good that Lady Alderton wouldn”t move from that spot again until she felt the call of nature, and once Felisa got her settled in with a glass of punch and a small plate of things to nibble on that she knew the other woman would never touch, Amelia waved her away.

”Go enjoy yourself for the moment, Felisa. I would bet Lady Bellevue”s companion is here tonight if you can find her.”

Felisa curtsied then left, hearing the older woman”s loud caveats ringing in her ear, ”But don”t stay too long—you”re here to attend me, not socialize—and don”t eat too much!”

As much as it might have been nice to have enough money to never worry about the price of anything ever again, Felisa was just as happy to blend into the woodwork at these events. No one gave her a second glance. It was as if, upon seeing the simple, plain—however expensive and well-made—dress she was wearing, they looked right through her. She recognized many faces as gentlewomen—and a few men—to whom she had been introduced, but none of them acknowledged her in the least, and she didn”t feel slighted by that. Indeed, she wouldn”t have it any other way.

When she”d scanned one side of the room and was about to start on the other, she realized that she was both thirsty and hungry, so she acquired some of the punch she”d brought the dowager as well as a plate of sweets and savories that she would actually eat, however discreetly, as she looked for her friend.

Of course, when they spotted each other, she was just taking a bite of a petit fours, of which she”d already had several. They were excellent—some filled with jam, some tasting of orange or lemon, all with a light, white cake and pretty pastel frosting. She could easily have eaten every single one she ever encountered!

Penelope Worth was chuckling as they hugged. ”Leave it to you to find the pudding!”

”You have got to try these! They”re wonderful!”

But Penny took after her employer—she didn”t care much about food. How she”d managed to end up that way when they”d both grown up in an orphanage where their next meal was hardly a given, Felisa would never know.

Of the two of them, though, she had ended up in the best spot. They both did the same job, but although the dowager could sometimes be sharply critical, at least she”d never taken her fist—or her cane, or whatever makeshift implement happened to be close at hand—to her.

Poor Penny couldn”t say the same thing.

Her employer disciplined her for any infraction—real or imagined—and didn”t hesitate to withhold food or eve her freedom if she felt Penny had misbehaved badly enough.

As soon as she had found out how her friend was being mistreated, Felisa had encouraged Penny to leave and find some other kind of employment. But—despite the beatings—she seemed devoted to the duchess for whom she worked. And Felisa couldn”t really blame the girl, especially since she had felt the very same way herself on that one very particular occasion. She was warm, she was clothed—if not nearly as richly as Felisa was, especially now—and there was a very nice roof over her head. Her movements were much more restricted than Felisa”s, so they didn”t get to see much of each other, except at social engagements, but they regularly wrote back and forth to each other, and as their employers were friends, they saw a reasonable amount of each other.

But Felisa felt Penny start when she hugged her and knew that there was going to be a disturbing story behind that.

She”d been to the Hepplewhite”s before, and she grabbed Penny”s hand. She knew of several spots where they might find some privacy. She wanted to know what was going on, even though it drove her crazy, since there was little she could do to help her friend. At least she could reassure herself that Penny was all right, for the moment, anyway.

They ended up in a small, empty alcove off the main hall.

”She did it again, didn”t she?” Felisa asked her friend as soon as they got there.

Penny blushed, looking away.

”You don”t have to be ashamed with me; I hope you know that by now.”

”I do know,” her friend reassured her, ”but it”s still there.”

”I know. Let me see.”

”Felisa.”

She never wanted to, but Felisa was determined, and in the end, she allowed her friend access to the tiny hooks down the back of a dress that she herself could easily have worn. It was of good, sturdy fabric but was unremarkable in any other aspect.

Penelope was also one of the women who was meant to fade into the woodwork, to come to the fore only long enough to do the bidding of someone else and then slip back to the shadows.

It only took three open hooks to begin to see the ghosts of previous darkened weals, as well as the bright new ones that were probably only a day or two old that had been left on the poor girl”s back. They were raised and red and angry looking, and Felisa, out of empathy for Penny, didn”t go much further.

She didn”t have to.

She”d seen enough of this kind of evidence to know that the painful welts would mar the otherwise perfect skin of her entire back, beneath the tight-fitting corset that must”ve been rubbing against them with every little movement she made. Perhaps they even covered her buttocks and down her thighs. She didn”t need to expose the girl to any further humiliation to understand the horrifying reality of the situation.

So Felisa carefully hooked her back up, hugging her gently when she was done.

”What are we going to do about this, my dear?” she asked, offering the contents of her plate and glass to her friend.

Penny chuckled softly, ignoring the food but downing the rest of the punch in one gulp. ”You always ask me that. And the answer will always be the same. Nothing. There”s nothing you can do.”

She recognized that stubborn look on her friend”s face. ”That is not acceptable. There has got to be something we can do.”

”We”ve been over it and over it. This is a great position, in a prestigious house. I”ll never get another one if I leave all of a sudden without a reference, and she”d never give me one if I tell her I want to leave. I”m stuck.”

Felisa was frowning fiercely. ”I”m not going to give up. I”m still thinking on it. Someday, I will find a way to get you out of there—to a better place.”

Penny hugged her friend. ”I appreciate your efforts; I do. I just don”t want things to get worse.”

”I would never do that to you.”

Penelope began to look furtively around them. ”I think we”d probably better get back. I”ll get in trouble if she wants me and I”m not there.”

The dowager wouldn”t be happy, either, if that happened—even though she”d told her companion to amuse herself—and she”d have to endure her scathing remarks, but at least she wouldn”t be beaten for it.

”Let”s meet again tonight, if we can,” Penny suggested.

”Yes! If not, I owe you a note.”

”Yes, you do,” her friend teased.

She pulled a face. ”Well, with him having come back, I have less time to write. Her ladyship”s much more active with him at home. I wish he”d go away again.”

”No, you don”t,” Penny grinned.

Felisa glared at her in fun. ”You keep that to yourself, Miss Worth.”

”Yes, ma”am,” the younger girl giggled. ”You know, I can absolutely see you being an old woman like the dowager, with a companion to annoy and take things out on.”

”She doesn”t do that—at least, not like yours does.”

Penny”s usually sunny face fell a little. ”I know.”

”I”m not going to give up, though. We”ll get you out of there, somehow.”

They hugged again, each then going their separate way, back to being a useful part of the furniture surrounding a great lady—at least, in Felisa”s case.

But it wasn”t the older woman who noticed her return first. ”There you are! Mama was about to make me head up a search party.”

Of course, he was there, she noted as she walked toward his mother. So much for him finding his friends and spending the evening somewhere other than with them, as she would much have preferred.

”Nonsense,” his mother countermanded him. ”I was merely a bit worried. You don”t usually stay away that long. Were you able to find your friend, Felisa?”

”Yes, m”lady, I was.”

”And did you have a good chat?”

”Yes, m”lady, we did, thank you.”

”Good. I”m parched. Would you please dispose yourself to getting me another glass of punch?”

”Mama,” his lordship scolded. ”I could have gotten that for you at any time.”

”Yes, but you are not salaried to do exactly that, my son.”

Despite the utterly unveiled insults she was dealt regularly, Felisa couldn”t—and wouldn”t—spare any time for feeling bad about her lot in life. Much like Penny, she supposed, she was bloody happy to have it, although she wasn”t at all sure she could put up with what Penny did to keep it.

As it was, putting up with him was bad enough. She supposed there was a bit of an equivalency about what he had done to her, as compared to what Penny”s mistress did, but she was far from eager to make such comparisons.

Although she”d not been on Penny”s side of things—not since she was much younger, anyway, and subject to the much less than tender mercies of those who ran St. Mary”s Home—and she wanted to find what her employer”s son had done to her as distasteful as what Lady Bellevue did routinely to her friend, she couldn”t quite.

He”d made certain that she”d enjoyed it entirely too much, to her own shame and degradation. Even now, nearly a year later, when she brought the incident up in her mind, she couldn”t understand why she couldn”t have eschewed the feelings he”d conjured so easily within her. Considering her background, she should have been petrified and nearly catatonic.

But he”d managed to make her feel things she never knew existed before. Oh, there was certainly more than a small modicum of fear there—of discovery, of doing things that she knew were wrong, and that her employer would definitely not approve of, especially not with her beloved son. But while soothing what he”d immediately recognized as her overwhelming fear, he”d also somehow helped her feel safe, too.

Safe. As if doing what they had done could ever be considered safe. As if a man like him wouldn”t rat her out, turn her in, betray her to his mother if it ever came out.

Besides what they had actually done, the entire situation had caused her to have a crisis of confidence in herself, in her ability to take care of herself, which had never, ever been in question before in her mind. She had always been the one who had taken care of everyone else, the one who had always known exactly what to do in every situation. But she”d found herself at a complete loss in regards to what had transpired between them.

And, when she”d found out that he had disappeared the next morning, Felisa wasn”t sure whether that was a good thing—in that she wouldn”t have to confront him again—or a bad one, in that he”d set off a physical craving she was having a terrible time ignoring. Still was.

Felisa shook her head, clearing it of those unsettling memories—at least for the next few moments, anyway. She knew well, by now, that they were destined to creep back in eventually, when she least expected it, when her guard was down.

Before she could reach for a cup to fill, the man on her mind appeared suddenly at her elbow and handed her one, already full.

”Here. I”m sorry she orders you around unnecessarily like that.”

Felisa snorted in a very indelicate manner that had him grinning. ”I”m not, your lordship. As I am frequently reminded, it”s what I”m paid for.”

”You sound like my mother.”

”Your mother is right.”

”And what if I offered you much more money to finish what we started that night before I left?” he asked outrageously.

Felisa”s breath caught loudly, his impertinent offer causing her to look around them covertly, but there was no one nearby. And, frankly, her position worked for her in this kind of situation, since no one paid any attention to what she was doing anyway.

Although she also knew that they—all of the mothers of as yet unmarried daughters—followed his progress around the room like hawks spying a particularly tasty looking mouse.

She almost smiled at the idea of anyone characterizing him as a mouse.

”No one is looking, Miss Heath.”

”Someone is always looking, m”lord,” she returned pertly.

He gave her a rueful look, glancing furtively around them himself. ”You”re probably right.” Then he straightened. ”But my offer stands.”

Having gotten a cup of tea for herself as well as another plateful of goodies, and balancing that and the dowager”s punch, she turned to head back, saying quietly, ”Only a woman who thinks little of herself or has nothing whatever to lose would take you up on that offer.”

”Touché,” he commented, not sounding offended in the least, which was a good thing, since—if anyone was going to be, she should have been the one who was offended.

”What if I told your mother about all of your improprieties toward me?” she asked casually as they both made their way back, knowing that turning the tables on him was likely to backfire on her, but still. She liked the idea of putting him on warning.

”I”m surprised you didn”t tell her about that night. That was one of the reasons I left. I figured she”d be on the warpath and out for blood, wanting to avenge you and what she would perceive as your lost innocence.”

Felisa answered him boldly, without missing a beat. ”And, knowing that I am not, are you now going to tell her what you discovered about me, her supposedly maidenly companion?”

”No, Felisa, I am not. You needn”t worry about that. You have my word.”

Despite the fact that he was a gentleman—or more likely, because of that fact—Felisa didn”t trust any man”s word. ”Thank you,” she answered stiffly, peeling off from him to hand his mother her punch, taking up her usual position at her ladyship”s right hand, standing just behind her to be nearby in case she needed or wanted anything else.

”Thank you, Felisa. Aren”t you going to dance with anyone this evening, Rune?”

Oh, this should be interesting, Felisa thought to herself, happy to have the older woman”s sharp attention on someone other than herself. Since he seemed to do everything else so annoyingly well, she would enjoy watching him lumber ungracefully around the floor.

”Well, it looks as if everyone who would be of any interest to me is already occupied,” he answered neatly. ”Unless you wouldn”t object to me dancing with your Miss Heath?”

Felisa”s self-satisfied face fell.

Amelia looked from her companion to her son and back again. ”Well, Felisa, would you have him if he asked you?”

She fairly sputtered her response. ”B-but, my lady! He can”t possibly dance with me!”

”I agree, it”s unorthodox, but I would like to see my son dance at least once this evening, and you seem to be the only female he finds acceptable who”s not already out there. Would you mind, my dear? Just this once?”

Felisa knew she had been very neatly trapped.

And Rune was going so far as to bow deeply in front of her, his gloved hand out to her. ”Would you do me the great honor?—”

Her face like a thundercloud, Felisa interrupted him as she brushed by him, ignoring that imperious hand of his and saying ungraciously, ”If we”re going to do this, let”s get it over with.”

She was fairly sure that she heard him chuckle softly, not to mention others” murmuring and tittering, and perhaps even a few outright gasps as they made their way onto the ballroom floor.

It was one of her favorites, the Waltz of the Flowers, which she adored dancing to, although she expected that it was likely she was going to end up with a broken foot, if her hunch about him was right. Having been press-ganged into doing this, all Felisa really wanted to do was to live through it. It was near the beginning, though, so she knew she had several minutes of torture before she could limp to the sidelines.

Being so close to him only emphasized the difference in their height. She felt like a little girl who was dancing with her father, but his touch was perfect—sure and firm but not demanding—as he very gently placed his splayed hand near the top of her back, partly on the bare skin between her shoulder blades, raising his other hand for her to rest her own within it.

It was a small thing at which to hesitate, but she did, standing so near to him—close enough to smell what was the achingly familiar scent of him. Not just his aftershave, but him—the man he was—and it was damned distracting.

All of this was bloody distracting!

Her eyes were on the small strip of floor between them, until he ordered quietly, ”Look at me.”

She knew she couldn”t go anywhere until he did, so Felisa took a deep breath and forced herself to do as he asked, becoming immediately in danger of losing herself as their eyes met and she began to drown in his.

”Put your hand in mine,” he murmured.

His voice was soft and cajoling, but she knew that he definitely expected her to obey him, whether she wanted to or not.

Her gaze followed her own hand as her small fingers rested against his enormous palm, strong fingers closing gently around her own.

”Ready?”

She barely got a chance to nod before he began to guide her around the room.

And, boy, had she been wrong about his dancing ability!

It had been a while since she”d waltzed—since she”d danced at all—but he made her look as if it was something she did every evening of her life! She”d lost herself even more completely when she”d looked up at him and met his eyes, and she did it even more so as he guided her expertly around the room. In fact, Felisa was horrified to realize that the other couples who had been dancing had all moved to the sidelines, and they danced alone—with everyone”s eyes on them—for the last two thirds of the song.

That thought made her stiffen within the strong circle of his arms, but she felt his grip tighten gently. ”Don”t worry about them. Just keep looking at me, Felisa. I”ll always keep you safe.”

His words startled her as he said what she had been thinking about him that night.

Still, it was impossible not to do as he asked, a thought which she should have found alarming but didn”t. Without the slightest misstep, he guided her through the rest of the dance, and when it ended, applause broke out spontaneously from the sidelines. Wearing a self-satisfied grin, he bowed deeply, to them and then to her. She curtsied back, and sensing her unease at all of that attention, Rune brought her back to his mother.

”Well. You caused quite the sensation,” she noted, eyeing Felisa sharply.

The younger woman didn”t say a word to anyone but, instead, headed for the nearest bathroom, where she hoped to take a moment to collect herself.

She had to practically hunt through the entire first floor to find one that wasn”t occupied, but she didn”t care one whit that she ended up using the one by the back stairs. She doubted anyone else would end up there, which was only a better guarantee of privacy.

It was small, but she didn”t care about that, either. Her dress wasn”t one of those that was out to there. It was modest and suited her perfectly—unlike the man with whom she”d just been dancing.

How could she have allowed herself to end up in that situation? She should have said no, and if she needed to, she could have done what she was doing now, hiding in the bathroom. She wasn”t proud of the idea of playing the coward, but it would have saved her the ignominy of being put on display like that with him.

Not that he was a bad dancer; he was superb. But to have been made the center of attention like that—his and everyone else”s—that was not a good idea for someone in her position. And he certainly shouldn”t have been dancing with her. He should have found someone of his own rank, of his own station, with whom to dance.

Now, every woman with an eligible son or daughter was going to have to take a long, hard look at her servants—because that was exactly how everyone saw her and how she saw herself, really—and wonder and worry whether they were nurturing potential rivals within the bosom of their homes.

There wasn”t anything between them—and there never would be, despite what had happened before he”d left. And Felisa didn”t want the dowager to think there might be, although she didn”t seem to be concerned in the least about that, granted.

When she”d calmed down some, she took a deep breath, checked herself in the mirror, and went out into the hallway, only to see that he was lounging there against the wall, apparently waiting for her.

”Do you know how many bathrooms I had to haunt to discover which one you were in?” he asked, falling into step behind her.

”I wish you hadn”t,” she murmured.

”Would you like to dance again?”

Felisa gave a quick look around them and stopped short. ”No, I do not want to dance with you. I don”t even want you around me, with your innuendo and inappropriate comments. I”m your mother”s companion. That”s all I want to be.”

”That”s a lie,” he stated quietly.

Because she knew he was right, Felisa refused to answer him and starting walking again as quickly as she could, but with those long legs of his, he didn”t even seem to notice her pace, while she was huffing and puffing with the effort.

”That”s not true. It”s all I”m ever going to be.”

”You don”t know me very well if you think I would allow anyone to tell me who I can be interested in, Felisa.”

She stopped again, as did he, tears filling her eyes against her will. When she began speaking, low enough that he had to bend a bit to be able to hear her, she was looking at the floor. ”I know you will never understand what it”s like for someone like me to have gotten a job like this. You”ve had everything you”ve ever wanted all your life. You”ve never known a moment of need or even want. You”ve never had to fight for what you have.”

Then her head came up, and she met his eyes as he watched her force her back to straighten and her eyes to dry.

”But this is the best job I”m ever likely to have in this lifetime, and I am not going to let anything happen…” she stopped herself, ”…again, to endanger it.”

”I don”t want you to lose your job?—”

”I”m sorry, your lordship, but that”s what it looks like to me. If you”ll excuse me.” She curtsied in the most cursory of fashions, turning to practically sprint to where his mother was sitting, and mercifully, he stayed where she”d left him.

In fact, when it came time to go—before the dowager began to fade—he was nowhere to be found, and they left without him, although Felisa continued to look around for him, even as she helped Lady Alderton settle into the coach, spreading a warm blanket over her lap for the trip home, back to Fenton Hall.

”He”s a big boy. He”ll find his own way home, I promise you. He can take care of himself.”

Felisa sat back on her seat. ”Of course, he can. I just didn”t want him to worry about you.”

Amelia laughed softly at that. ”You needn”t concern yourself about that eventuality, either. He won”t. He knows I have you and that you”ll see me home safely. I”m sure he”s in one of the drawing rooms with his friends, doing what I said he”d probably do all evening. I was surprised—thrilled, really—that he spent so much time in the ballroom with us. I really didn”t expect that or that he”d dance with you.”

”Neither did I,” Felisa agreed, more sourly than she intended.

”And I put all of that down to you, my dear.” The older woman actually leaned forward and patted Felisa”s hand, something she”d never done before.

Despite that, Felisa”s eyes grew round and she hoped she conveyed her genuine discomfort at that idea. ”I should certainly hope not.”

”Don”t be obtuse, dear. You”re too smart; it doesn”t become you in the least. My son has developed a bit of an infatuation with you, and I count that as a good thing.”

The younger woman looked as if she”d swallowed a puffer fish. ”You do?” Then she added scornfully, ”You can”t possibly.”

”Of course, I do. He hasn”t formed any kind of romantic attachment—that I know about—since that cow Angelica Trevor-Hartman broke his heart when he was in his twenties. I severely doubted it, but I almost wondered if he”d…” She looked at her companion and apparently thought better of what she had been going to say. ”Well, let”s just say I was quite worried about him. But, if he can fall for you, then he”ll find someone more suitable in the near future, I”m quite sure.”

”Oh. Yes, of course, he will,” Felisa agreed, not at all enthusiastically. Not that her companion noticed.

The rest of their ride home was quiet as the dowager fell asleep not long after imparting all of that juicy information.

Even when they went out, their evenings followed a relative pattern. They got home, she helped her lady get to bed, remaining by her side, reading to her from the Iliad until she dropped off, which was in a mercifully short amount of time.

Then Felisa made her way down to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of Madeira, carved herself a small slice of Victoria sponge cake, and headed for the library.

Juggling the candle, as well as her provisions, she reached out to turn the doorknob, literally running into the door when it failed to give way, and nearly losing her hold on the dram of wine. Given a choice, she”d rather lose the wine than the cake, but still. It would have left quite a stain on the carpet, and Felisa didn”t much like the idea of her nocturnal ramblings becoming public knowledge, as it was likely to if that happened.

So she put her things down and tried again, but the knob wouldn”t turn, and no amount of swearing at it, apparently, would intimidate it into doing so.

And before she could do anything else about the situation, she was rudely interrupted. ”Problem?”

The question came from down the hall, and there was no doubt in her mind who it was who had posed it.

Suddenly more tired than she had been in a long time, Felisa leaned her forehead against the door and sighed loudly enough that she was quite sure he could hear her. Not that she cared.