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And such a lover he had No one seeing her could bla hiirl, she’d envied her aunt in a way Her feelings about her uncle ot a little older and realized she didn’t want him so much as she wanted what they had, her onkel Søren and tante Elle What they hadit see so dom of Adulthood, she’d dubbed it Adults alone lived in that world and as a girl she’d longed to gain entrance into it and learn all its secrets

Whenever around her aunt and uncle she felt like she stood outside the gate and could see through the bars She only needed the key Love That was the key Adult love Private love Passionate love between two people who told secrets with their bodies She’d learned about love watching her aunt and uncle doing nothing but talking to each other There had only been those few visits, once a year, soh to teach her that love wasn’t sohts fought for and kings died for and ships were launched for and poets recorded for posterity--it was real She’d seen it She wanted what they had, wanted that secret that they told each other without even saying a word She’d seen it pass between thelance Maybe she would have that someday, she wished every time she’d seen it Maybe she’d find it here in A, no one What if he ith her now in his bedroom? Maybe that’s why the quiet all about her resonated with restless energy In a house so small surely she could hear the sounds of passion even upstairs and behind closed doors Or was it possible to make love entirely in silence? She doubted her aunt could As a girl of ten, Laila had discovered that if she sat on the floor with her ear to the wall, she could hear the she never quite understood what she heard--breathy gasps, warm, illicit murmurs, a moan followed by silence Sounds of pleasure caused bywhat? Then she hadn’t known She’d heard other sounds, too--whimpers, cries, quiet noises that sounded far est feeling in her stoht and force herself to stay awake and listen to the like jealousy So she couldn’t nathat’s what it was The house seemed to shudder as soon as Laila stepped foot into the kitchen Laila’s happiness here started to falter Soht Never before had she breached her uncle’s home, but she knew the house, like hi out of place Nothing disturbed Nothing wrong But stilleverything see roorand piano A fireplace naked without a fire She found a staircase and took it to the second floor She found the bathroom, the office When she stepped into the bedroom, she almost blushed

Laila couldn’t look at the o, her aunt and uncle had corandone to bed, Laila pressed her ear to the wall and listened She’d expected to hear the usual sounds of passion, of pain Orsodo

"I don’t want to discuss this with you, Eleanor"

"The funeral’s toht it with you?"

"Of course I did I thought you ht have wanted"

"No, she wouldn’t She gave it to you She wanted you to have it Unless itto you anymore" Laila heard the bitterness in her uncle’s voice

"It ht that since I left you, you ht have left me, but I never left you Keep it if you want it at all"

"At all?" Her aunt sounded aghast "It’s my most precious possession"

Laila’s stomach had clenched so hard at her tante Eleanor’s words and the fervency in her voice As was her habit, she reached up to her neck and wrapped her hand around the locket that rested in the hollow of her throat for comfort

"As you areThe sorrow in her uncle’s voice cut into her, his words sharp as a knife

"Don’tdon’t make this harder than it is"

"It couldn’t be any harder than it is, Little One"

Silence came after that but only for a ain, tender and careful

"Forgive rateful you’re here For mefor them"

"They don’t know, do they? You haven’t told them I left you"

"I only told Freyja Laila and Gitte worship you I didn’t want to hurt the girls"

Laila heard laughter then, but it did nothing to untie the knots

"What are you laughing at?" The mirth in her uncle’s voice cal you didn’t want to hurt the girls Not your usual style, is it?"