Later that night, the grand halls of Hamilton House were completely quiet. The servants had retired to their quarters, and the heavy velvet curtains were drawn tight against the dark, cool night. The only light in the long corridors came from the few wall candles left burning for safety.
Delaney could not sleep.
She sat on the edge of her large, soft bed in her bedroom. The events of the afternoon played over and over in her mind. The Hamilton family had welcomed her into their circle. They had treated her not as a hired employee, but as a trusted friend. They had shared their deepest secrets and their most dangerous fears with her.
Yet, she was still hiding her own secret.
The guilt sat heavily in her chest. It felt like a physical weight pressing down on her ribs.
