This voice went steadfastly ignored.
At last she heard a faint tap upon the door, and put away her book. When Eliza entered moments later, Isabel stood ready to accept the bonnet and shawl which her aunt brought with her. They donned their outdoor attire in silence, and crept unshod through the house with Tafferty padding along at their heels. The hour was early enough that some one or two servants were still awake and at work; Isabel trusted that any faint sounds she and her aunt made would be put down to such a source, but still she did not breathe easily until they had successfully traversed the great staircase and slipped out of the front door. The house would be locked up for the night upon their return, so she made sure to take the spare door key from its regular spot in the porch a
