Avery walked out of the dressing room.
She had changed into a spare silver-gray silk gown provided by the estate. The cool fabric against her skin did little to suppress the searing heat of the turmoil raging within her. She had pinned her long hair up again, hiding the fine beads of cold sweat at the nape of her neck. Save for a slight pallor to her lips, she looked every bit the calm, self-possessed doctor.
However, the keycard hidden in her clutch still made her heart thud with residual fear. She could still feel the weight of those eight minutes in the archives-the darkness, the ticking clock, the certainty that at any moment, the door would burst open.
Crossing the corridor, Avery ran straight into Victor, who was lurking at the corner leading back to the main hall. He wasn't insi
