Seductive Lies (Secret Lives Series) (35 page)

“
I
do
n
’t
und
e
rs
ta
nd,
A
l
y
c
e
.
Y
our
f
at
h
e
r,
y
o
u
r
s
a
f
e
t
y
?
”

Tea
rs
s
t
r
ea
m
e
d d
o
wn
h
e
r
f
ace
.
“
Lie
u
te
n
a
nt
Ro
la
nd
woke
m
e
i
n
t
he
m
i
dd
l
e
of
t
he n
i
ght
s
a
y
i
n
g
m
y
f
at
h
e
r
n
ee
d
e
d
m
e
t
o
lea
ve
im
m
e
d
i
a
te
l
y
.
He
t
ook
m
e
t
o
E
v
e
r
m
on
d
e
t
h
e
n. I
n
e
v
e
r
s
a
w
m
y
f
at
h
e
r
a
g
ai
n.”

“
Lie
u
te
n
a
nt
Ro
la
n
d
?
Lie
u
te
n
a
nt
Ro
la
nd
C
a
sv
e
l
y
n
y
o
u
m
ea
n.
You
kn
e
w
m
y
bro
t
h
e
r, A
l
y
c
e
,
”
h
i
s
vo
ic
e
t
r
aile
d
off.
Co
m
pr
e
h
e
ns
i
on
d
a
wn
e
d.
“
A
l
y
c
e
,
who
w
a
s
y
o
u
r
f
at
h
e
r
?
”

She
shook
h
e
r
h
ea
d
a
nd
push
e
d
a
w
a
y
h
i
s
h
a
nd
on
h
e
r
c
h
i
n
wh
il
e
s
he
s
c
r
a
m
b
le
d
b
ac
k
a
g
ai
nst
t
he
w
all
.
H
e
r
e
y
e
s
ali
t
w
h
e
n
a
s
li
ght
kno
c
k
upon
t
he
door
d
i
s
t
urb
e
d
t
h
ei
r
c
onv
e
rs
ati
on.
Not
w
aiti
ng
for
a
n
a
n
sw
e
r,
t
he
door
s
wung
op
e
n.
A
l
y
c
e
rush
e
d
by
h
i
m
a
nd
i
n
t
o
t
he
a
r
m
s
of
t
he
n
e
w
c
o
me
r.

“
Ch
a
r
le
s!”
she
c
r
ie
d.

Ju
lia
n
r
ec
ogn
ize
d
t
he
m
a
n
i
m
me
d
i
at
el
y
.
Dr
e
s
s
e
d
i
n
a
y
e
l
l
ow
-
s
t
r
i
p
e
d
w
ai
s
tc
o
a
t
w
it
h
a row
of
huge
s
il
v
e
r
bu
tt
ons
a
nd
a
hun
te
r
gr
ee
n
c
o
at
,
t
he
m
a
n
a
pp
ea
r
e
d
t
o
h
a
ve
ta
k
e
n
t
i
m
e
t
o
pr
ee
n
t
o
l
ook
a
s
he
d
i
d
a
t
t
h
i
s
m
o
m
e
n
t
.
Ju
lia
n’s f
i
rst
t
hought
w
a
s
of
a
p
eac
o
c
k
w
it
h
h
i
s
tai
l
f
eat
h
e
rs
al
l
p
l
u
me
d
ou
t
.
T
he
m
a
n s
t
ood
a
s
tal
l
a
s
J
u
lia
n,
but
s
le
nd
e
r,
f
a
r
s
li
gh
te
r
i
n fr
ame
,
f
a
r
le
ss
i
n
t
i
m
i
d
ati
ng.

“
W
h
a
t
c
ou
l
d
be
so
b
a
d,
m
opp
et
?
I’m
h
e
re
now.”

Ju
lia
n
w
atc
h
e
d
a
s
A
l
y
ce
’s f
ac
e
w
a
r
m
e
d
t
o
t
he
e
nd
ea
r
me
n
t
.
She
bur
ie
d
h
e
r
f
ac
e
i
n
h
i
s shou
l
d
e
r.
T
he
m
a
n
l
ook
e
d
up
from
t
h
ei
r
e
m
br
ace
.

“
L
ord
C
a
sv
el
y
n.
I
und
e
rs
ta
nd
t
h
a
nks
a
re
i
n
ord
e
r
for
pro
tecti
ng
m
y
g
i
r
l
.
I
h
a
d
on
l
y r
ecei
v
e
d
t
he
m
e
ss
a
ge
lat
e
la
st
n
i
gh
t
.
Of
c
ours
e
,
I
ca
m
e
a
s
soon
a
s
I
c
ou
l
d.”

M
e
ss
a
g
e
?
Of
c
ours
e
,
t
he
m
e
ss
a
ge
he
h
a
d
s
e
nt
from
A
l
y
c
e
t
o
h
e
r
fr
ie
nd.
She
m
ust h
a
ve
c
onv
e
y
e
d
t
o
t
h
i
s
m
a
n,
L
ord
Ch
a
r
le
s
T
r
e
g
il
g
a
s,
M
a
rqu
e
s
s
of
Ro
t
h
e
w
a
rd,
h
ei
r
t
o
t
he Duke
of
Arungdon.

“
L
ord
T
r
e
g
il
g
a
s,”
Ju
lia
n
r
e
p
lie
d.
“
Obv
i
ous
l
y
i
t
h
a
s
b
ee
n
a
l
ong
n
i
gh
t
.
It
i
s
good
t
o  s
e
e
A
l
y
c
e h
a
s
a
fr
ie
nd,
but
I’m
a
fr
ai
d
we
a
re
w
aiti
ng
for
t
he
m
a
g
i
s
t
r
at
e
t
o
r
el
a
y
our
tal
e
a
bout
la
st
n
i
gh
t
’s
a
dv
e
n
t
ur
e
.
T
h
e
n
I’m
e
s
c
or
ti
ng
M
i
ss
Rufford
t
o
m
y
gr
a
ndf
at
h
e
r,
Co
l
on
e
l
T
o
l
wor
t
h
y
.
”

“
O
bv
i
ous
l
y
,
”
L
ord
T
r
e
g
il
g
a
s
s
m
i
l
e
d
a
bro
a
d,
kn
o
w
i
ng
s
m
ile
.
H
e
til
t
e
d
h
i
s
h
ea
d
a
ta
d.
“
I
b
elie
ve
t
h
e
re
m
a
y
be
a
s
li
ght
a
d
j
us
t
m
e
n
t
.
I
w
il
l
ta
ke
A
l
y
c
e b
ac
k
w
it
h
m
e
t
o
L
ondon. I’m
s
ure
y
ou
w
il
l
und
e
rs
ta
nd
i
t
i
s
for
t
he
b
e
s
t
.”