After she was done with her meal, Lucia let Michael take her home. She was glowing when she skipped up the stairs to the doorway and into the house. She half expected her mother to ambush her at the door, asking how her day had gone. She wasn't disappointed when her mother did not show up but was rather relieved.
"I'm home!" she announced as she took off her coat and put it over her arm.
There was no response, and she did not think much of it. It was a big house. She saw a maid darting from the living room to the kitchen.
"Excuse me," Lucia said, and the maid paused.
Lucia saw how the girl could not quite meet her eyes. What was going on?
"Do you know if my mother is in the house?" she asked.
"She's upstairs," the maid said hurriedly and rushed to the kitchen.
