Mara was still holding the letter when the knock came at her door.
In one second, she shoved it under her pillow, smoothed the bedspread over it with one hand, and stood up in the same motion. Her pulse was going faster than she wanted it to. "Come in."
It was one of the ground floor guards, a man she recognized by face but not by name. He stood in the frame without entering. "Don Ferrante asks if you'll come to his study, Mrs. Ferrante."
She looked at the pillow. Then at the guard. "Give me two minutes."
He nodded and pulled the door shut.
She stood perfectly still for a moment. The letter under the pillow felt as if it were ticking like a clock. She couldn't leave it there. She retrieved it, folded it twice, and tucked it inside her blouse against her ribs, where the fabric held it flat.
She would figure out what to do with it eventually, but not yet.
Then she went.
—
