“What?” Xander barked. “What about the house?”
The butler swallowed hard. “There’s a fire, sir. It’s spreading through the kitchen, the storage, the staff are saying it’s bad. The whole back wing is gone.”
“And Lauren? Is she there? Where is she?” Xander asked.
The butler hesitated. Everyone fell silent, watching his lips move, waiting for the words that would break the last fragile thread holding them all together.
“I’m afraid,” the butler said hoarsely, “she was still inside. She… she burned with the fire… and it seems like Mrs. Lauren is dead.”
