I awoke to candlelight. I was strapped to a chair which, upon examination, was quite expensive-looking. Taking a gander at my surroundings I realized I was in a very fine banquet room, sitting at the head of a long table. At the other end, past all the plates and candles and steaming, delicious-looking foods, sat a beautiful woman with long, black hair and pointed features. It dawned on me that I was at Brown Estate.

“Jessica Brown, I presume?” It hurt to speak, but it was nice not having the gag in anymore.

She smiled, dabbed the corners of her mouth with a cloth napkin, then replied “Ah! It seems my guest has awakened.” She made a slight motion with her hands, and two men emerged from the shadows to release my bonds. Someone put a plate of food before me. “I expect you won’t be so foolish as to try to escape, will you Mister Young?” She paused, noticed me eying my food. “Don’t be silly, I would never poison a guest in my own home! Eat up. When you’re done, we’ll talk.”

I’ve never been so full in my life.