EMILIA'S POV

After they left Madame Dolores, Raymond led the way to his study, his stride harried and tense. Emilia, wondering what was going on, hastily followed him.

She could see the buildup of stress in every inch of his taut muscles. He was trying hard to hide it, she knew, but there was a very short list of emotions that Raymond could successfully hide from her. She had been his best friend for so long that she knew when he was happy, or worried, or annoyed just by a very slight change to his expressions.

Soon they got to a wide, well polished double mahogany doors, where she saw...