A Season for Sin by Vicky Dreiling

financial assistance to her family, but more than anything, she’d loved being his wife. When he’d confessed he worried she’d made a bad bargain with an old man, she had told him never to speak the words again.
    Her biggest regret was that she’d never been able to provide him with more children, because he’d grown ill early in their marriage. Phillip had felt guilty, but she’d always shushed him. Four years after his death, she still missed him on a daily basis, but she kept busy with her charitable projects, reading, and looking after Justin.
    Justin was the light of her life, the only son of her late husband. For the past eight years she’d been the only mother he’d ever really known. Phillip had gotten married late in life to his first wife, Eleanor, who had produced Justin and died in childbirth along with the infant one year later. A succession of nannies had looked after the boy, until Laura had agreed to marry Phillip.
    It was times like this that she missed her late husband the most. When she’d married Phillip, she’d adored his son, and Justin had loved her as well. Back then, she’d not anticipated the difficulties that lay ahead with parenting a seventeen-year-old who thought himself invincible, but she would manage. As with most things, there were always bumps in the road. Long ago, she’d learned to tackle one problem at a time. It was the only thing that had saved her sanity while nursing her severely ailing spouse. She’d hated watching him suffer, but at least he had not been alone.
    Those thoughts dampened her spirits considerably. She always tried to focus on the positive, but tonight, she found it more of a trial than ever. The clock chimed twice, and Laura massaged her temples. If only she knew where to look for her stepson, she would scour the city. Laura was grateful to have one friend here, because it made the homesickness for Hampshire more bearable.
    The sound of masculine voices alerted her. Laura gathered up her skirts and rushed out onto the landing. She pressed her hand to her chest upon seeing Justin with his two friends George and Paul.
    Relief replaced her anger, but only momentarily. She descended the stairs, focusing primarily on Justin. She noticed that his friends wouldn’t look her in the eyes, and that bothered her more than anything. Only someone with something to hide would look away.
    “Laura, we had an accident,” Justin said. He looked at his friends as if seeking corroboration.
    “Right,” George said. “One of the horses threw a shoe, and there we were, stuck on the dark street, looking for a hackney.”
    “It took a long time before we found one,” Paul said.
    “You’ll need a ride home, I suppose,” Laura said.
    Paul gave her a blank look. “The hackney is waiting for us.”
    “We’d better be off,” George said.
    After the two young men left, Justin started to walk away, but Laura put her hand on his arm. When he turned to her, he lurched a little. That was the moment she smelled the spirits on his breath.
    Her lips thinned. “Come with me to the drawing room.”
    “Aw, not now,” Justin said.
    “Yes, now,” Laura said.
    When they reached the drawing room, he sprawled in a chair with a sullen expression.
    “Justin, I know you’ve been imbibing strong drink.”
    He rolled his eyes. “I only had one drink.”
    “You cannot fool me,” she said. “We spoke about the dangers of London before we left Hampshire. You promised me that you would use caution.”
    “We were stuck, and it was deuced cold,” Justin said. “The driver had a flask.”
    “A likely tale.” She paused and added, “I don’t trust your friends. George wouldn’t even look me in the eye.”
    “Stop treating me like an infant,” Justin said.
    “I worried about you,” she said. “It is after two o’clock in the morning. If something happened to you, I wouldn’t even know where to look.”
    “You worry too much. I told you we got stuck,” he said, resting his