They had been awake and dressed for some time but lingered in their room. Neither wished to go downstairs and begin another day punctuated by Miss Wentworth’s incessant giggles, so they had simply stayed put. They busied themselves dusting the furniture and straightening dresser drawers. Now Sophie darned a stocking heel, while Rachel sketched in her journal. It was rude, they knew, but they couldn’t help themselves. It was one day past their guest’s scheduled departure date, and every extra hour spent in the woman’s company brought Rachel and Sophie one step closer to foul tempers. Tap-tap-tap. Heaving a ragged sigh, Rachel closed her book with a snap and tossed her pencil on the table. It hit the surface so hard the point broke, which brought a fresh sigh. When she glanced at her, Sophie shrugged. What could she do? If Wendy had tracked them down, there was no way to escape. It wasn’t as if they could evade discovery. The only exit was the door which, even now, was getting a new wave of tapping.
