*Anna*

Curled in a chair by the window in her room in the Tempest Hotel, the low light of the lamp barely illuminating the room, I hear the click of a key going into the lock, the snick of the latch, but no opening of the door as the staff keeps the hinges well oiled.

However, I see it opening, the dim light from the hallway outlining the silhouette of a tall man with broad shoulders. He stands there unmoving, as though testing the waters, as though wondering if I will turn him away, if I won’t welcome this inappropriate clandestine meeting. But then when it comes to Kai Tempest,...