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For example, I insist that you run along now and get yourself some decent clothes on so you can be dressed properly .”
    She held her hands out to the sides before she let them fall. “I have no clothes. They were in my valise.”
    Argyle closed his eyes and sighed. "Well, then I guess practical wins out." He grabbed his bag and handed it to her. “You’ll have to wear something of mine until we can sort something else out for you.”
    Lila’s face creased. “Couldn’t I just ask Miss Copper to borrow something?”
    “We are just talking about tonight, Lila. We’ll get you something first thing tomorrow morning and then be on our way. There’s no sense inconveniencing the woman any more than we have already.”
    “What about our inconvenience? It’s not as though we asked to get robbed.”
    “And it’s not as though she asked for three extra boarders, one bleeding all over her linens. Now, I know it’s not ideal, but just pluck up your endurance and deal with the situation gracefully, please.”
    She nodded and pinched her lips as she sighed through her nose. “I’ll go and bathe, but I’ll bring you up some supper first.”
    He smiled. “Thank you.”
    Before she left, she placed a kiss on his wrinkled brow.

Chapter 3
     
    Heaven.
    That’s what Lila thought as she sank into the steaming water until it reached her neck. Rose oil floated in a thin film at the surface, and she could feel it coating her skin. In no mood to wash her hair, she bundled it up on the top of her head. Her father’s luggage sat on a chair across the room, and she scowled at it, missing the nightgown and robe she sneered at hours ago. She looked mournfully at the dress on the floor. The skirt might be salvaged if it could survive a good scrub, but the bodice was beyond repair. It was a small price to pay to stay alive, she thought.
    An image flashed in her mind of the man she’d shot, his face half-covered and his eyes widening above the bandana as she pulled the trigger. He went down, never to breathe again. Her stomach clenched, and she shook her head to clear the vision, telling herself that he was the criminal and she the victim. As her eyes closed, she felt the last trembles of the day shake out of her fingers and dissolve in the soothing water.
    The bathroom occupied a large room at the end of the second-floor hall. There was one tub in the house shared by everyone, and she rested in it until the water cooled. Good manners nagged at her, reminding her that the boarding house was full of patrons waiting their turn, patrons unconcerned with the fact that she hadn’t a proper bath in weeks. Though she wanted to soak until she sprouted fins, a groan escaped her lips as she rose and wrapped herself in a towel.
    Kneeling before the chair, she popped open the valise and stared down at the contents. Medical instruments and tinctures were secured in their places. His violin and bow were laid on the bottom beneath his stockings. Three pairs of neatly folded trousers, all black, piled on one side. Linen shirts sat to the other. Several pairs of long underwear, suspenders and vests were tucked in between. She shut the bag swiftly and feigned a whimper, feeling as though she was being punished by having to dress like a man.
    She took a deep breath and blew it out noisily. There was nothing left but to pluck something from the bag and put it on. Reaching for a pair of long underwear, she held the suit up and her eyes fell to where the legs met with its slits and fastenings placed strategically to offer a man relief. Her lip curled in disgust and she tossed it back into the valise.
    “Absolutely not,” she muttered.
    Next, she withdrew a pair of black pants and held them up. They were pressed and creased down the center of each leg. As she stood to measure them against her own height, she knew they would be long and loose. Her father was a full head taller. She shrugged, having no other choice. She chose a light linen shirt and pulled it