The Last Key: Little Canary

Helena Alton accepts a summer position at Wetherbrook Hall, expecting only to maintain the discipline of her student and the structure of her days. But she quickly draws the attention of Reginald Sutton: eccentric, wealthy and far too used to getting what he wants.

What begins as pursuit and quiet opposition soon sharpens into a psychological dance of control, restraint and unspoken obsession.
Reginald orchestrates a game that shifts the very walls of the house to bring her closer. The question is no longer whether she'll leave, but how long he'll let her think she can.

~

She gasped and twisted, but he'd already swept her off the ground in one ridiculous, showman's flourish. Her feet dangled, skirts swaying, while his laughter puffed warm and self-satisfied behind her ear. "Oh, darling canary" Reginald mused, as though this were all her fault, "you do make it so very easy."