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“Hi, Mrs. Fritz,” I called.
The old wolf eyed me warily, taking in my ripped dress and awkward position from above.
“What are you doing up there, dear? Are you unwell?”
I chuckled. “I locked myself out,” I explained with a nonchalant shrug. “And Father’s not home.”
“What happened to your clothes?”
I glanced back down at my ripped outfit and blushed, thinking of Ash’s strong hands tearing at it.
“I’m not sure,” I lied. “I must have snagged it somewhere.”
“Come down from there, child, before you break your neck,” Mrs. Fritz scolded me. “I have a spare key in case of emergencies. Your father said you were visiting an aunt in Montshire.”
“I was… and now I’m back,” I replied, descending the roof to meet the neighbor on the ground.
Mrs. Fritz paused to look me over again. “Are you ill, child? You’re very pale.”
I wished she would stop talking and get the key so I could get the test before my father got home.
“I’m tired,” I told her. “Montshire is kind of far. Could you get me that key?”
“Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?” Mrs. Fritz offered. “I made some cookies, too.”
“No, thank you, Mrs. Fritz. Just the key, please.”
“All right, dear. One minute. Or you could come inside. You know, Robbie was just saying to me yesterday that we don’t see enough of you and your father. He’s so busy, the doctor, helping all those people.”
She stopped again, and I stifled a groan.
“Why don’t you come for dinner tonight?”
I pretended to think.
“I don’t know about tonight, Mrs. Fritz, but I promise to speak with my father, and we’ll come soon, all right?”
The elderly wolf smiled and nodded. “All right, dear. Right, the key. It’s in here somewhere.”
She shuffled back toward the house, and I exhaled a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I should have just kept climbing. I would have been inside by now.
Minutes ticked by, and I tapped my foot impatiently, eyes scanning the street for signs of my father.
Where did he go? Is he meeting with Ash today to pay off the loan?
The thought made me dizzy. Father would know I was gone if he was with Ash, and then he would undoubtedly come home looking for me soon.
I needed to tell him I was pregnant. He’d know what to do. Ash didn’t want the baby or me.
Could I raise a demon baby on my own? Would Father help me? Or would it be better to give the child to a caring couple who would provide for them?
Even with our social standing, a single mother would not be deemed fit to raise a baby alone, not when so many couples wanted children and couldn’t have them.
Father could help me find a decent home for my baby.
“Here it is, dearie,” Mrs. Fritz cawed, snapping me out of my reverie.
I started and gasped, causing the old woman to do the same. We both laughed shakily at our reactions.
