The room was warm and I was all alone in the big bed. I had a vague recollection of Adrian waking me in the dark to put my nightgown back on, but I thought he had stayed with me. I sat up against the pillows and drank my chocolate while the maid added a new log to the fire. It had obviously been made up once already, and I asked her for the time. “Nine o’clock, my lady.” I almost spilled my chocolate. “Nine o’clock! It can’t be nine o’clock! I never sleep until nine o’clock!” The maid did not reply to this singularly inane comment. Obviously, I had slept until nine o’clock this morning. No wonder Adrian had gone. I took a small bite of the muffin and chewed. It was delicious. While I ate my muffins and drank my chocolate, I discovered that the maid’s name was Lucy, that she was the daughter of a Newbury apothecary, and that she had two older sisters, one married and one not. Lucy went to the window to open the curtains and the sun came pouring into the room, making a pool of light on the rich cream-and-blue rug.
