Victoria’s gaze held his for a long moment. Then it shifted, almost involuntarily, toward the deeper part of the room where Elena was standing very still with her back against the bookshelf and the sweater pulled down as far as it would go. The high neck covered the renewed bruise near her collarbone. It did not cover the flush still visible on her face or the careful way she was holding her body.

Victoria saw her.

The silence that followed was different from any of the earlier ones. It had the shape of confirmation rather than discovery. Victoria already knew the center of the secret. What she was seeing now...