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"So what’s the plan then? How er until your Master will come for me?" When she hesitated, I said, "Just tell me

I already pro" She still see to aveyou up, and he will check your progress on the third evening" "And if I refuse to eat?" She looked at me with sad eyes

"He will co to fatten up, he may still take you into his quarters and force-feed you there himself

Your last days will be better spent with me, Miss Rose" She shuddered

"Trust me, you want to spend as little tination in her voice, as though there was no part of her that had any flicker of hope that I ht survive

She poured out a bowl of stew and walked out of the kitchen, setting it down onmyself up for that monster

I’d rather starve to death first

I shook my head

"If Anselm wants me to eat, you can tell him he’ll have to feed me himself" She looked at ripped the heht in the eye

"Go on

Tell hi here" She shook her head

"No, Miss Rose--" "Go now" She stared at

She re it up on a hook on the wall, then extinguished the fire beneath the stew

I didn’t take my eyes off her until she’d plodded across the floor and exited, locking the door behind her

As soon as she was out of sight, I hurried to the kitchen

I picked up the two sharpest knives I could find fro their sheaths, fastened thehs with two silk scarves I found in the closet

Then I sat on the bed, staring at the door

I wasn’t going to wait here like a sitting duck for hi the shots aboutan early death to htened when the door finally opened an hour later

I held my breath as Ansel dark cloak over his lean shoulders, and his hair was slicked back

His face was clean-shaven, revealing his sharp jawline, and his brown skin smelt of a faint musk

If I didn’t abhor him so much, I would have ale eyes settled on me

"Arabella tells me that you wanted to see me" I stood up as he closed the distance between us and stopped a foot away from me