For about ten feet down, there were hunks of stone she could maybe use to climb down but the remaining hundred would require wings. She spun at the sound of the door opening. Listening, she made out wheels rolling. Their dinner on a cart maybe. Clenching her fists rapidly to force circulation, she took several calming breaths and prepared to engage with a sick patient, not the man she was in love with. She had to remember that, could not ever forget it if she wanted to succeed. With feigned grace, she glided out of the bathroom in the lovely lavender evening gown, becoming the fairytale he’d apparently envisioned for her. She would use it all to gain the upper hand. And yet every fiber of her being refused to say it would all be okay. It said the exact opposite. Why now? Why not tell her that before she got in the damn car with him? That was the niggler, the one thing left to be learned. Why didn’t her so called divine gift protect her?
