Luisa Aguilante arrived at the Harmali residence precisely on time, her resume clutched in one hand and a polite, practiced smile already in place. She was twenty-two, two years older than the boy she had once dismissed in high school, and time had only sharpened the features that had once made her the object of quiet adolescent envy and resentment.

She was petite but curved in the places that drew the eye: full breasts that strained softly against the modest blouse she wore for interviews, a narrow waist that flared into rounded hips and a generous bottom. Her legs were long for her height, the calves smooth and shapely even in practical flats. Dark, wavy hair fell just past her shoulders in careful waves, framing a heart-shaped face with high cheekbones, a small straight nose, and a mouth that always seemed on the verge of a smirk. Her eyes were a warm brown, large and slightly upturned at the corners, fringed with naturally thick lashes she darkened further with mascara. A light dusting of freckles across her nose and the faint flush of youth still lingered on her cheeks. She smelled faintly of vanilla lotion and the cheap but pleasant perfume she sprayed on for job interviews. Everything about her said “pretty girl who knows it”-the same girl who, years earlier, had looked at a quieter, softer boy named Martyn and called him a girly-boy with casual, cutting amusement.

Mrs. Harmali met her at the door of the sprawling, sunlit home. The older woman was elegant in a deep burgundy silk dress that clung to a slender, feminine frame. Dark curls were pinned back from a face made dramatic with red lipstick and carefully applied makeup. She moved with practiced grace, gesturing Luisa inside with a soft, cultured voice.

The interview took place in a bright sitting room of marble floors and pale walls. Mrs. Harmali’s questions were pointed, almost clinical.

“Have you ever been left alone in a house of this size for extended periods?”

“How do you feel about strict household routines-uniforms, schedules, absolute discretion?”

“Are you comfortable with physical presentation being part of the role? Appearance, posture, the way one carries oneself?”