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“I … overslept”

Mrs Martinelli nodded “Follow me”

In the kitchen, Mrs Martinelli took the vegetables from her basket and laid thereen herbs, cluarlic at one time

“What can you cook?” she asked Elsa, tying an apron on

“C-coffee”

Mrs Martinelli stopped “You can’t cook? At your age?”

“I’m sorry, Mrs Martinelli No, but—”

“Can you clean?”

“Well … I’m sure I can learn to”

Mrs Martinelli crossed her arms “What can you do?”

“Sew Embroider Darn Read”

“A lady Madonna mia” She looked around the spotless kitchen “Fine Then I will teach you to cook We will start with arancini And call me Rose”

THE WEDDING WAS A hushed, hurried affair with no celebration before or after Rafe slipped a plain band on Elsa’s finger and said, “I do,” and that was pretty hout the brief ceremony

On their wedding night, they caether in the darkness and sealed their voith their bodies, just as they had done with their words, their passion as silent as the night around them