Seductive Lies (Secret Lives Series) (38 page)

She
h
a
d
l
ong
a
go
c
o
m
pr
e
h
e
nd
e
d
h
e
r
b
i
r
t
h
pr
e
s
e
n
te
d
a
la
rge
obs
tacl
e
t
o
ov
e
r
c
o
m
e
i
n
t
he
e
y
e
s of
t
he
t
on,
e
v
e
n
w
it
h
t
he
titl
e
of
La
d
y
El
o
i
se
D
’Ar
c
y
Gr
a
nv
ille
,
t
he
d
a
ugh
te
r
of
t
he
lat
e
H
i
s
G
r
ace
,
t
he
f
i
f
t
h
Duke
of
Ro
t
h
e
w
a
rd.
She
g
la
n
ce
d
a
round
t
he
la
rge
room
wh
il
e she
w
aite
d.
T
h
e
n
s
udd
e
n
l
y
a
s
t
r
a
nge
f
eeli
ng
s
urg
e
d
t
hrough
h
e
r
a
s
i
f
so
m
e
one w
e
re w
atc
h
i
ng
h
e
r.

She
t
urn
e
d
h
e
r
h
ea
d
a
brup
t
l
y
a
nd
m
ee
t
t
he
a
v
i
d
e
y
e
s
of
a
m
a
n
s
ta
nd
i
ng
i
n
t
he
f
a
r doorw
a
y
.
He
w
a
s
a
short
m
i
dd
l
e
-
a
g
e
d
m
a
n,
dowd
y
,
i
n
f
act
,
w
it
h
r
e
d
pudgy
c
h
ee
ks,
but w
it
hout
qu
e
s
ti
on
he
e
y
e
d
h
e
r
i
n
te
n
t
l
y
.
He
h
a
d
a
f
a
m
i
l
ia
r
l
ook.
T
h
e
n
t
o
h
e
r
horror,
h
i
s
f
ac
e br
i
gh
te
n
e
d
a
nd
g
a
ve
h
e
r
a
w
ea
k
s
m
ile
.

P
a
n
i
c
w
elle
d
w
it
h
i
n
h
e
r
w
it
h
t
he
c
o
m
pr
e
h
e
ns
i
on of
w
h
y
he
s
e
e
m
e
d
f
amil
i
a
r.
Ca
l
m. S
t
ay
c
a
l
m.
Sur
el
y
he
wou
l
d
not
a
ck
now
le
dge
m
e
.
El
o
i
se
m
ai
n
t
ai
n
e
d
h
e
r
c
o
m
posure
a
s
she s
a
t
r
i
g
i
d
w
it
hout
a
h
i
nt
of
e
m
o
t
i
on,
wh
il
e
d
e
sp
e
r
ate
l
y
t
r
y
i
n
g
t
o
a
ss
e
ss
t
he
s
it
u
ati
on.
H
e
r g
az
e
h
el
d
f
i
rm
upon
t
he
m
a
n.
T
h
e
n
he
m
a
d
e
a
s
te
p
fo
r
w
a
rd
t
ow
a
rd
h
e
r,
h
alti
ng
on
l
y
w
h
e
n
L
ord
Le
n
i
s
te
r
e
n
te
r
e
d
b
ac
k
i
n
t
o
t
he
roo
m
.

T
he
s
t
r
a
ng
e
r
nodd
e
d
t
o
t
he
ea
r
l
.
El
o
i
se
s
t
r
ai
gh
ta
w
a
y
r
ec
ogn
ize
d
a
l
ook
b
et
w
ee
n
ac
qu
ai
n
ta
n
ce
s.
A
lt
hough
for
t
he
li
fe
of
h
e
r
she
d
i
dn’t
und
e
rs
ta
nd
t
he
s
t
r
a
ng
e
r’s
pr
e
s
e
n
ce
, she
und
e
rs
t
ood
t
he
n
ee
d
t
o
w
it
hdr
a
w…
a
nd
qu
ic
k
l
y
.

She
rose
a
nd
g
at
h
e
r
e
d up
h
e
r
s
k
i
r
t
.
Wit
h
gr
ea
t
e
ffor
t
,
she
e
x
ite
d
i
n
a
d
i
gn
i
f
ie
d
m
a
n
n
e
r out
t
he
op
e
n
s
i
de
door
t
o
t
he
v
e
r
a
nd
a
.
T
he
w
a
rm
n
i
ght
g
a
ve
p
a
use
t
o
m
ore
t
h
a
n
a
f
e
w gu
e
s
t
s
cl
u
tte
r
i
ng
t
he
te
rr
ace
.
Ignor
i
ng
t
he
b
ea
u
t
y
of
t
he
d
ec
or
ati
ve
s
ce
n
e
,
she
s
c
urr
ie
d down
t
he
s
te
p
s
i
n
t
o
t
he
g
a
rd
e
n.
She
e
s
ca
p
e
d
on
l
y
t
o
t
he
f
a
r
e
n
t
r
a
n
c
e
w
h
e
re
she
c
o
lla
ps
e
d upon
a
b
e
n
c
h.