Turnbull patted the portrait. "My damned creditors will be most happy and very surprised if they learned the source of my blunt."
I could only glare at him. A few days ago I had hoped to make a stand and improve my life; now I felt as if I was sliding back into an abyss. Between Turnbull"s blackmail and Gibbie Elliot"s misbehaviour, I was not sure where to turn. I could not ask Captain Rogers for help without revealing more than I wished and Doctor Hetherington had proved less practical than I had hoped. I did consider informing Emily or Elizabeth, but they had known Marie and Gibbie longer than I had. They might not wish a relative newcomer to their circle to interfere. I was indeed alone again.
Mrs Macfarlane was standing on the landing as I stepped upstairs to my office to retrieve th
