Chapter 12

Elise was thankful the kitchen was empty. Someone had humiliated her on purpose, and advertising the fact was the last thing she wanted. Removing her socks and shoes so as not to leave a muddy trail, she padded barefoot up to her room and then finished stripping off her filthy garments. Setting them in a pile on the floor, she went to clean up.

After turning on the shower, she peered in the mirror while waiting for the water to heat up. The stones had stung as they hit her face and she wanted to check the extent of the damage. Sure enough, there was dried blood on her cheek. Carefully, she probed the cut, judging its severity.

Opening the medicine cabinet, she found some antiseptic and dabbed the punctured skin, grimacing as the liquid stung the damaged flesh. A quick perusal found no other injuries beyond her bruised pride.

Checking her appearance once more, she decided a casual observer wouldn’t notice the wound, which in her mind was a good thing. She didn’t wan