After hearing my explanation, Cecily joyfully dialed Lucius’s number.

Through the glass door, her sweet, lilting voice echoed with excitement, her mood a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere she had held earlier in the tea room.

It was hard to believe she had looked at me with such suspicion not long ago.

For some reason, I felt as though I had survived a near-disaster.

At least nothing had gone terribly wrong.

That would only slow down my ...