It was many more minutes before Lotte returned.
She had got downstairs and found the chalice easily enough, lying discarded under a sofa. But then the few girls who were still downstairs and noticed her, and began asking questions.
"Where did he go? Did he really leave? Did you get a good look at him?"
"Yes, I told you." She was patient, talking under her breath so as not to attract attention. "Shot out of my room and down the side passage - you know it leads to the street eventually. He looked like a pompous fool - all silk and velvet in those awful colours! And his arrogant air!" But even as she denigrated him to her friends, she couldn't shake that sweet smile of his and the boyish handsomeness that had touched her as he washed. "Anyway, I'm going back up-"
That was when the guards strolled in, not bothering to knock. She seamlessly slipped the chalice up her dress and began heading for the door. The benefit of looking young and innocent was that she was rarely questioned. She did hear the guards begin their questioning.
"... would have been out of breath, from running. Has he been in here?"
She held her breath as she waited for her friends to reply. Luckily...
"No, he hasn't, officer," Saffy replied, all coy smiles. "He sounds handsome though... you can be sure that we'll be keeping our eyes wide open!"
Lotte chuckled as she slipped through the door and started back up the stairs, just hearing the guards' next statement: "Well, we'll wait around the building for a few hours, just in case. He may try to hide here. Don't worry ladies, we'll be in plain clothes so as not to put off your normal clients..."
Any other conversation was lost as she ran lightly up the stairs, holding the chalice to her body through the think pink cloth. Slipping back through her door she locked it and leaned against the wood, grinning at Gherrick. Her cheeks were pink from the exertion, as she reached under her skirts to produce the chalice.
"Got it! You might want to stay up here for a while though."
