"Will you need anything else this evening, Mrs. Ferrante?"
Mara looked up from the vanity mirror where she had been unpinning her hair. Elena stood near the door, waiting patiently with her hands folded.
"That will be all, Elena." Mara set the last pin down. "Do have a good night."
"Good night, Mrs. Ferrante."
Elena nodded once and stepped out into the hallway.
The heavy oak door had barely clicked shut behind her when the connecting door between her room and Nico's opened.
By now, Mara was standing at the foot of the bed in her nightgown. Her hair was loose, and she was reaching for the robe draped over the bedpost. She hadn't heard a knock because there hadn't been one.
She turned.
