Chapter 200

• VALENTINA
• I stood alone in the private dressing room the next morning. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows and lit up the emerald green gown that now hung ready on the central rack. The ball was only five days away. I felt the nearness of the night in every breath I took. I stepped forward and lifted the diamond necklace from the velvet tray the jeweler had just delivered. The stones caught the light and sparkled against my palm. Gustavo stood a few feet away watching me with steady eyes.
• He spoke in his low calm voice. “Try the pieces with the gown.”