After blinking several times, realization dawned. It was broad daylight. She lay between lavender scented sheets in a calico lined room. A pretty picture of Mary and the Christ child reposed on a chest of drawers. Lace curtains fluttered at the half opened windows. She sat up, surprised to find herself wearing a white cotton nightgown trimmed with lace and blue ribbons. Holding a sleeve close to her face, she again inhaled the fragrance of lavender. “You’re awake.” A young woman appeared at her bedside. “Did you sleep well?” “Yes, thank you, I must have slept like the dead.” “Michael left you in our care. I’m Sophia Lawrence.” Melanie’s fingers clutched at the edge of the sheet. Anxiety almost froze the words in her throat. “Has Michael gone?” “He’ll return, never fear. He left early this morning to see some government officials.”
