Angelica looked away, her rage replaced with something else. Her eyes swam with tears and turned red, and she covered her forearms with her hands. "I'm to vacate the premises immediately," she whispered. "I'm no longer employed by Miss Kontalban."
"What?" Laura sat down on the edge of her bed, pretending to be astonished. "You've got to be kidding me."
"No." Angelica's voice cracked and thickened. She'd be bawling soon.
"Over what?"
"I can't tell you," she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "That's what this is all about. There's a secret, and ... and ... I don't know how Claire knows about it, but it wasn't me." A wildness overtook her eyes as she stepped forward, sank to her knees, and grabbed Laura's hand. "You have to believe me. It wasn't me. I would never ... never do anything against Miss Kontalban's wishes. If you hear anything, anything at all about me and this secret, you have to know it's a lie. It's a terrible lie."
