53

After playing their games of chess and constituting nuisance that even made the maids to come to inform Emma that her mother sought her presence, Emilia was finally escorted back to her chambers.

She envisaged the presence of Milan more than she wanted to believe, and even planned to confront him about his trick that morning in deceiving her into believing that he was sincerely repentant.

But, when she got to the room, he wasn't there. She went into her room and went into the washroom to quickly soak herself there for a few minutes, coming out only when the water had gone cold.

She went back to her room wrapped in a clean white towel, sat on the chair in front of her vanity table rubbing the new rose oil that Betty brought in for her, when the door opened and slammed loudly.

Emilia's eyes impulsively flicked to the adjoining door which she left open when she came in initially-without knowing why-and saw no one.

But from the way the hairs at the nape of her neck rose, and her nose pick