Staircase

"Torcia, my dear," Sophia said with a gentle determination that revealed the strength beneath her fragile appearance. "How many years did you study at Doren?"

"Six years," Torcia said, casting a wary glance at her husband's tough figure.

"If Doren's reputation remains the same, for those six years she has undergone an education that includes rigorous training in manners, gestures, the art of elegant speech, management skills. House management and spending, fashion and high taste, rituals of morning visits and after-dinner gatherings...thousands of little details of etiquette that distinguish first rank and other social ladders. musical instruments, speak French and perhaps even German....are you wrong?"

"You're right," said Torcia curtly, hating the feeling of suddenly becoming part of a trap set around Reeves. He was being forced to become something he didn't want to be, and she understood his feelings very well.

Nodding satisfied, Sophia turned to her brother who was glaring. "Torci