“Better?” He looked down at her open face and shining eyes. The tension and the troubled look were gone.
“Yes, sir, better. Thank you.” She took several deep breaths and pulled a little further away. “I’m so tired.”
“Nearly midnight, the day you’ve had, you should be tired.”
The moment required a swift change from him, and rather than fool with more questions and crisp demands, he abruptly lifted her into his arms and moving into the hallway carried her to the second floor and set her on her feet.
“Into your bedroom. Bring me your pillow and blanket,” he ordered.
She moved quick as a jackal and returned with the items, appearing as intrigued a she was confused.
“Under the stairs,” he announced.
He immediately turned to the staircase that rose to the second floor, and reaching down,
