Veronica nodded slowly, her expression grave. "She was the wife of Count Mortayne. And here's what troubles me most—she hasn't aged a single day since his death."

The name meant nothing to me, but the weight in Veronica's tone sent ice crawling down my spine.

"What happened to him?" I asked, though part of me dreaded the answer.

Veronica leaned closer, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "He died under circumstances that defied explanation. Officially, the records state it was an ...