When they arrived at the Ferrers’ mansion, back from their afternoon stroll, Manfredi was gone. He had left ne message explaining where he’d gone, no note at all to his wife. Marina frowned, sighed internally. He always gave at least minimal info on his whereabouts before going away. The fact that he hadn’t bothered to do so only showed how pissed off with them he was.

Mrs. Ferrer slightly rolled her eyes, decided she wasn’t in the mood to play the diplomatic or the soothing-wife role to a headstrong fool who was probably feeling threatened by a teenage girl. The whole thing was ridiculous beyond compare.

‘Where’s your husband?’ Robin queried accusingly, grinned in satisfaction as she settled down on a chair in the living room.

‘Good question. Who knows? He goes where he pleases and he rarely stays at home.’ The Italian answered in a neutral tone, though her mind conjured up an image of her strangling the trapeze artist so as to wipe that smug smile away. ‘During the week we’ll barely see Manfredi; he works as a lawyer in two places and only arrives at ten, what with his many dinners with clients…’

‘So mainly you stay by yourself all day?’ Alba asked, sat in a puff between Marina and Robin.

‘Yes.’ The woman beamed in delight. Every minute away from her husband, or anyone else who might impose tradition upon her, was seen as a personal miracle. ‘I like taking long, aimless walks around Firenze, see where my feet lead me. I’ve found some pretty interesting things already.’

‘Do you have a regular job?’ Bette inquired, took a seat beside Allenwood and fidgetted with her "new girlfriend’s" fingers.

‘Not really, but I enjoy it when I do work.’

‘And what do you do?’ Jenny had to bite her tongue, almost added "mess up with other people’s minds?"

‘I sing in a few piano bars.’ Marina chuckled at her friends’ astonished faces. ‘It pays close to nothing, can become mildly distressing and I love it.’

‘One day you might record an album. You do have a lovely voice.’ The teen commented, earned a nod and a smile.

‘Something nice to add to the expert hands, all right.’ Jenny mumbled.