Two days had passed since Arianne had closed the second journal, and the twins had kept her busy since their return from Layla's parents. Lily had arrived home with a massive jigsaw puzzle—a gift from Jessica, who believed children should always have something to do with their hands—and had immediately chosen the sitting room floor as their workspace.
Franz was at The Rochefort Group, trying to compress as much work as possible into the hours before the baby arrived. He had been coming home later than usual, his brow furrowed with the particular exhaustion of someone who was racing against a deadline he couldn't control. Arianne had told him not to rush. He had said he wasn't rushing. She had pointed out that he was wearing his tie at nine o'clock at night. He had looked down at his chest as if surprised to find the tie there, and then he had laughed, and she had helped him take it off.
