The main lights in the study were off; only the desk lamp cast a pool of amber light across the surface. The shadows in the corners seemed to breathe, stretching and contracting like something alive.
When Avery pushed the door open, Dominic was partially submerged in the shadows of his chair. A single point of crimson glowed and faded in the darkness between his fingers, the air thick with the heavy scent of tobacco.
He lifted his head, his gaze cutting past her to the empty hallway behind.
"Where is Dorothea?"
"Her head wound has a minor infection." Avery stood still at the edge of the light, refusing to step further. "Mrs. Cooper had a doctor come by. She just took some antibiotics and fell asleep."
Dominic looked into her eyes. Those few seconds were suffocatingly heavy; Avery felt
