Henrietta pulled her cloak tighter around her throat, and stepped out from the safety of the alcove into the thunderous roar of the storm as it enveloped the city streets. Father’s coach was due to return to collect her at the conclusion of the party, but she could not bare to stay a moment longer. She had come to Cunningham’s ball hoping for a night of thrills, romance. A night to demonstrate who...

“Well, what would have done differently if you could go back to that moment knowing what you know now?”

I leaned back in my chair and stared out the window of my therapist’s office. It was a fair question, but I did not have a fair answer. I had begun to come to this office eight months before to work on challenges in our marriage, the thought always being that this was simply a rough patch and a...

The dust billowed across the top of the cardboard garrison of the attic as the hatch swung open, collecting in the air like powdered memories swirling above the countless family artifacts before settling back to cover them again. Quinn pulled herself up the top rung of the ladder and through the opening, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light coming through the slated openings in the half cl...

Hilary put the last of the dishes into the state of the art dishwasher installed during the recent kitchen renovation, and rinsed the soapy water from her hands as she glanced over her shoulder at the clock above the dining table. 2:48 pm. The bus would be dropping Sophia off in exactly 17 minutes, the perfect amount of time to switch the laundry and set out some fruit and milk for her sweet girl’...

Swallow, Alice told herself, consciously reminding herself to act like everything was normal. Happy. Even keel. Charming. The kind of girl people would expect to find on a date with a handsome and wealthy attorney in an upscale bar in northwest Washington DC on a Friday night. The kind of girl who knew what to order and how to pronounce it. Who knew how to pick out the right outfit to wear on the ...

The tardy bell rang and Ms. Greer smiled as the last of her students hurried into her classroom. She began to close the door behind Annabelle, but felt resistance as she pulled it shut.

“Knock, knock. Happy Monday,” came the familiar nasal tone of Mrs. Anderson, the front office clerk. She had a forced smile on her face that told Ms. Greer that she was absolutely not going to like what happened ...

Richard went to the bodega every single day. It was much a part of his day as his morning shower or his evening glass of bourbon. Wake up, drink coffee, dress, stop at the bodega for a second coffee and a paper on the way to his train into the city. Off the train, stop at the bodega for a beer for the walk, sometimes a snack if he hadn’t had a decent lunch before home for the evening. Day in. Day ...

Ryder entered the shop near the center of town. It felt foreign despite the fact that he had walked past it countless times in pursuit of the afternoon bus or running late for the office. But what use had he had to notice a diamond exchange before meeting Celia?

Ryder walked up to the case where the luminous stones were displayed and waited for the dealer to acknowledge him. Fifty years ago, the...

“Finding a way into tricky situations has never been a problem for me - although I still haven’t learned the art of getting out of them,” Colin gibed over his shoulder as he finished jimmying the lock open with the credit card - probably his father’s. The gate swung open and Colin swept his arm forward, making quite the show of displaying the path towards the private dock behind it.

Clara felt a...

Becky took one last look in the mirror. Satisfied wouldn’t be the right word, exactly, but she was content enough with the work she had achieved with her various creams, colors and brushes to turn off the lights surrounding her reflection and leave the bathroom. She tripped over the door jam as she stumbled into her black flats, pulling a blazer over the shoulders of her Anne Taylor dress, bought ...