The sound of the village's bell tower chiming the midnight hour made her jump to her embarrassment. She wasn't even aware that they'd been upstairs that long. Between her spilling out the broad strokes of her issues over the years and his searching through her mind, time had gone by very quickly. Already exhaustion was plaguing her body. Mr. Akingbade might have been gentle, but he still looked around in her brain for a very long time. She knew that she wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer. The desire to unravel all of her secrets, however, was enough of an incentive to keep her from moving from her spot on her old bed.