“Hush, hush, everyone, calm down! - as if through cotton wool, Longerin's velvety baritone and the muffled rumble of anxious voices reached me. - This is a consequence of nervous overstrain and painful shock, but she has the gift of rapid regeneration, and I treated her. She'll be fine, she'll wake up soon!

I slowly opened my leaden eyelids and found myself lying in the bedroom on the bed, which was surrounded by my husbands, parents and redhead. Their faces shone with such concern for me that I hastened to portray a reassuring smile on my face: they say, I'm fine, but it turned out crooked and unconvincing. My ears...