Was it a mercy or a danger that it was such a quiet night that night? There were people at tables, certainly, but most about were too deep in their own business to pay any heed to others’. The piano let out a cacophony when Lory was grabbed, but no other sign of acknowledgment rang out.

Not even from Lory. She grit her teeth behind tight lips, heart threatening to burst out of her chest with every step.

She knew well enough that Uncle Ben wasn’t here to spend coin. She wished he were. Lust was an easier sin to shame than wrath.

Her chin jerked up, but she was still too afraid to take her arm back. There was no answer that would knock him off his high horse or dull his notorious rage, and so Lory stayed silent.