Bess scrambled into the house and shut the door as fast and as quietly as she could. Brian stared up at her from his tight grip of her blouse with wide, confused eyes, and Bess hushed him before he could start whining.

"Mummy, what--" Sadie began, but Bess pulled her away from the door as she hurried into the flat. Sadie's other hand was latched onto Stephen's, and the two hurried behind their mother as quick as their little feet could follow. She needed her children silent, and she needed them to be completely unaware of her current state or what she was attempting to do. Why on earth had she bothered to look through those sleazy magazines? Why, why had she seen that little blip of an article? If she hadn't been bored while waiting at the healer's office, she would never have noticed the proclamation a certain Kestrel made about her sister-in-law, or whatever it was and----

Focus! All Bess could and should be focusing on was not dropping her children, and finding her husband's journal. Who had told the Tattler that it would be a good idea to post their stories into one of those magical things where anyone with access could read it and then be scandalized by what the articles entailed?! Bess knew that Drystan rarely used his journal, but sometimes he did paruse the entries, to tease her, or Odette, or----

Brian was dropped (put!) into his playpen, Stephen crawled into his bed for a nap, and Sadie was shooed to her room, even though Bess knew she would be out in a second to investigate why her mother was behaving so strangely. Bess tore into the master bedroom, heading straight for the desk and its drawers.

"Where---are----you?" Bess let out in frustration. It didn't even matter, he could spot it in a rag just like she did, but at least she could try.