Augustin shut the door behind us while I stood in the center of the room, looking around. Then, to my chagrin, I heard a key turn in the lock. I whipped my head around to stare balefully at this eerie priest who wanted my heart, thinking that perhaps he wished to kill me tonight, as well. I watched him stuff the door key into a pocket of his overcoat. He noticed my preoccupation and grinned at me, showing his teeth. “Does it frighten you that I have locked us in, my dear lady?” he queried, removing his coat and hanging it upon a hook on the door, revealing the dark robes of the Teuton priest underneath.
I eyed the coat, ordering myself to remember the pocket that held the key, just in case. “No, not particularly . . . I was just wondering why that’s necessary.”
“To ensure that no one sho
