31. Retribution due

Proserpina

I relinquished my children to the maids with some hesitation; I had never done this before. They had always been with me or somewhere close by.

But this evening they seemed exhausted and were too tired to create a fuss. Piers was already dozing by the time I had finished supervising the arrangement of their rather limited number of clothes. Seeing that they were washed and changed, I turned to leave.

I realized that I was drained, and after gulping down a cup of hot, sweet tea, I followed Beatrice to a door at the end of the landing. An elevator at the end of the landing intrigued me.

Catching my curious gaze, Beatrice rolled her eyes and said.

'HE stays upstairs. Got the entire floor. No one there 'çept hisself.'

I was too tired to point out that the house belonged to HIM anyway, he could run around naked if he wished.

Yawning, I remained silent.

She threw open the door with the flourish of a magician, and I stopped in the doorway, awed. A woman's room, all pearl grey and