To Pepper, the mansion was too quiet without Vera.
Pepper clutched a stuffed rabbit tighter against her chest, its floppy ears brushing her chin as she padded down the long corridor in her bare feet. The marble floors felt cold, but she didn't mind. At three years old, she already understood that some parts of the house were meant for big people only. That made them the most interesting.
She had slipped away while the grown-ups were busy. Vera was still gone. Daddy had told her something about her "handling loose ends," whatever those were ...and no one had come to check on her in the playroom for a long time. So Pepper wandered.
Her steps were soft and careful. She talked to Bunny in a whisper.
"Bunny, today we go downstairs again. But shhh. Secret."
This wasn't her first time.
She had discovered the heavy oak door weeks ago, the one that looked like it belonged to a different house entirely.
Today, as she turned the corner near the east wing, she paused.
Peaches was there.
