A violent cough tore through me, and blood splattered from my lips. Omero saw it, and for once, he asked nothing more.
He rubbed slow circles on my back, his voice softening. "You've always been the most sensible one, Penny. I was overthinking it. Rest now. Your husband will stay right here. I'm not going anywhere."
I didn't know how long I slept before the noise from the courtyard dragged me awake.
The moment I opened my eyes, I saw Ruby sprawled in the center of the yard, a rod cracking down across her body again and again.
Her clothes were soaked through with blood. Each breath she drew looked like it might be her last.
Chloe Volpe sat nearby in a wrought-iron chair, watching with cold, disinterested eyes. Her fingers traced the edge of her rosary with slow, almost loving precision.
When Omero saw me stir, he didn't bother explaining. He simply pressed my shoulders back down. "The Don's daughter-in-law is disciplining a servant. Don't interfere, Penny."
I had braced myself for some grave offense. But the crime, it turned out, was nothing more than this: after delivering the annulment petition to Don Valente, Ruby had taken it upon herself to summon a physician for me.