Taking a great breath of air, Elspeth backed away from the door. She put a hand to her forehead and clutched it. For a moment, she stood that way, lungs full of air. Then she blew it out in a rush. "This cannot be." And yet many things that simply could not be were, in fact, true, as she had learned in the past year.
She swatted at the door and faced Fr Verdoux.
"I was on a walk and a woman called to me from the steps. I didn't recognize her by face or name, but she claimed to know my mother and did know certain details about my circumstances," Elspeth said. "She invited me to come inside, but just as I came through this door, it locked behind me, and I've seen no sign of her since." A line formed between her eyebrows. "She did not mention a baby."