Sentence:  Alex suppressed those expressions of relief which offered to prevail in his face and escape from his throat ; unwarranted they were <WSD>in</WSD> any case for , as he stood facing the fille de chambre , his ears were assailed by new sounds from the interior of the shower room . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement; anyhow, they're quiet"; anyway, it's gone"; in any case, there was a brief scuffle"