Mara made it to the bathroom before the second wave hit.
She gripped the edge of the sink with both hands, breathed through it, and waited. The cold porcelain helped. Slightly. The nausea rolled through her in a long, slow pull until she finally threw up and the tension gradually released.
She straightened up and looked at her reflection. She was pale in a way that had nothing to do with the events of last night.
She ran the tap, rinsed her mouth, and walked back into the bedroom.
Elena was standing near the small writing desk with a glass of ginger water and a plain cracker on a saucer. She set both down on the nightstand without comment, without fuss.
She had clearly done this before for someone, at some point.
"Should I send for the estate doctor?" Elena asked.
"No."
"Should I tell Don Nico?"
Mara was about to answer when the door opened.
"Tell me what?"
