*Bryant*
I have a key, so I don't bother to knock. I simply enter Fanny's residence. No servants are about. A single lamp waits on the entryway table. I know where I will find her this late. I grab the lamp and take the steps two at a time. At the landing, I set the lamp on another table and extinguish the flame. Opening the door, I enter Fanny's bedchamber.
Lounging on a chaise, she is reading a book. I had expected her to be miffed with my tardiness. But we have no set hours, no formal arrangement. I come and go as I please, and she welcomes me as it suits her. On occasion, we attend the theater or an opera. We have planned to meet each other at various balls this mating Season, perhaps even to arrive together. We make no secret of our liaison.
She sets the book aside and comes to her
