Hidden Among the Roses
By Mags Hayward
Lilian dabbed her brow with a folded linen handkerchief. Her chest hurt, and, lightheaded, she wished she’d stopped for a glass of iced water or cooling lemonade at the café inside the park entrance. Too late now. There was no time to turn back. She was already tardy. Stowing the handkerchief in her purse, she hurried onward.
She laboured in the heat, her limbs leaden, chest constricted as if elastic bands were stretched across her ribcage, winding tighter and tighter with every step. Gasping, she halted and leaned forward, hands on hips. Her legs buckled, and, for a moment, she feared she was falling, crumpling to the ground, sharp gravel digging into her knees and hands, making them bleed. Then the feeling passed. Still woozy, she clutched her he
