Sympathetic arms

Back in her bedroom, Sofia planned to return to see Paolo before dawn.

Marcia may have been working on the principle of keeping friends close and enemies closer, or she might possibly have felt genuine sympathy for Tony, despite everything that had gone before. But at 3.30am, with Tony still sobbing in his bedroom, Marcia went in, sat on the bed and put her arm round him. He didn’t resist or say anything. She slid under the covers and silently persuaded him to do the same. Then she simply kept her arms round him until eventually he went to sleep.