Dani walked forward and performed a low, slightly shaky curtsy.
"My Lord," Dani said, her voice sounding a little too breathy, a little too tight.
Before she could continue her sentence, Damon cut her off. He did not look up from his book. He was too annoyed by his wife's absence to care about the maid's nervous behavior.
"Is my wife not back yet?" Damon asked, his tone flat and slightly impatient.
Dani kept her head bowed. She shook her head slowly, her eyes fixed firmly on her own black shoes.
"No, my lord," Dani answered softly, her hands still twisting in her apron. "There is no sign of her carriage at the front gates."
Damon frowned deeply. He closed his ledger with a soft thud and dropped it beside him. He grumbled quietly under his breath, his voice sounding like a large, unhappy bear.
