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Brit pushed the door closed against the wind just as Kim and Dean came walking up the hall.
“What did he want?” Kim asked excitedly.
Brit looked at her and sighed. “Ah nothing really. Just wanted to know if I knew what was going on at the farm.”
“That’s it?” Kim spat out. “That’s what was so important?”
Brit stuck her hands in her sweater and shrugged. “Yeah, pretty much.” Feigning a yawn, she headed towards the stairs. “I’m gonna head up to bed now. It’s been a long day. Goodnight.”
Dean said, “Night Brit,” as Kim mumbled, “Yeah, night.”
They watched her climb the steps and then disappeared as she went through the alcove where the hidden staircase to the bedroom, she shared with Jasmine led.
“Does that make any sense to you?” Kim asked, spinning around to look at Dean.
“It makes perfect sense. I think we should follow her lead and get some sleep. Brit’s right, it has been a long day.”
Brit stopped once she was on the staircase to the servants’ quarters. Leaning against the closed door, she tried desperately to catch her breath. It was bad enough when Vince wanted to talk to her but when he pulled out that picture of her she thought she was going to have another meltdown on the spot. It took everything in her power to not show her fear or anxiety.
Her old employer must be desperate to have her back if they were offering fifty grand as a reward. Considering she was the only employee to pull in that amount in less than a month’s time even after she was paid her meager cut, was exactly the reason they were searching for her. If she had her way, they would never find her.
Pushing away from the door, she made her way up the steps and headed straight for the bathroom. Going through her nightly routine of washing her face, her thoughts turned to the one man that she wished she could confide in. Luke. They had a connection or at least she thought they did, that she’d never had with another living soul in her life. Could she tell him? Would she tell him one day?
Sighing, she turned the tap on and stuck a washcloth under the running water. She rinsed her face off then blotted it dry with a hand towel. Looking at her reflection, she mumbled to herself, “And if you do, what are you going to do when he calls you a whore...”
Rinsing the washcloth, she squeezed the water from it and hung it to dry before brushing her teeth. As she did, Brit shook her head. It was no use; he would think she was the scum of the earth, and she wouldn’t blame him one bit. Despite having a very good reason for getting into the business, it would not matter. She was a shamed woman, and she always would be for the rest of her life.
She spit the toothpaste into the sink then rinsed her mouth as she placed her toothbrush into the holder beside Jasmine’s. Turning off the light, she headed across the hall to their bedroom. Quietly she creeped in and saw Jasmine sound asleep, with the covers kicked around her ankles. Taking her pajamas off the peg from behind the door, Brit stripped her clothes and tossed them onto a nearby chair then quickly got into her pj’s. Despite the inn having central heating, it never seemed to reach this far upstairs and there was a distinctive chill in the air. She got into the bed, and gently pulled the covers up, tucking them around Jasmine before she laid back. Her head just hit the pillow when the teenager turned to face her and hugged her around the middle.
Regardless of what happened to her at the farm, Brit had grown fond of Jasmine, like she was the little sister she never had. Turning to face the girl, she laid her arm across her and fell asleep.
Chapter 6
“Where do you want this, Kim?” Brit asked, as she pulled out a Nativity scene from the crate she was currently going through. They were all bundled up in their winter gear and were decorating the outside of the Inn.
Kim was standing on a step ladder hanging Christmas lights along the stone porch, turning, she looked at Brit over her shoulder. “I think in the front yard, to the left of the sidewalk. I’ll get Dean to put a spotlight on them.”
