I stepped out of the nursery.

Instead of going to the main bathroom, I slipped down the dark staff corridor.

Mrs. Higgins’s room was at the very end.

Her door was usually locked tight.

But in the confusion of the guards’ search, the lock hadn’t caught.

The door was cracked open an inch.

I slipped inside and closed it quietly behind me.

The room smelled of heavy lavender perfume and old dust.

It was cold.

I went straight to her dresser, pulling open the drawers.

Nothing but neatly folded white aprons and black stockings.

I checked under her mattress. Nothing.

I turned to her large, oak wardrobe.

It was a massive piece of furniture, dark and imposing.

I pulled the heavy doors open.

Inside hung her severe, high-collared dresses.

I reached past them, feeling the wooden back panel of the wardrobe.

The wood felt slightly loose on the left side.

I pressed my fingers against the seam and pushed.

With a faint, metallic click, a hidden door slid aside.

Inside the wall sat a small, digital safe.

My breath caught.

This was where she kept her secrets.