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"Where’s Sevastian?" She looked over his shoulder into the dih she didn’t really expect to see him there

"He sent me to fetch you"

She felt her brow furrow "But the letter"

"The missive was indeed froht even in the murky air "He asked that I convey it to you and then fetch you for hi

If Sev longed to see her as his letter claimed, ould he have sent his cousin in his stead? It just didn’t sound like Sev In fact none of this felt quite like so Sev would do

Malcole "Co"

She shook her head slowly side to side and hedged back a step, now quite convinced soled in an alaruered and dropped down froe "Come, Miss Hadley" His tone cut like the whip of a school alarer here" He reached for her ar hand

"No, thank you," she said sharply "I just res to do today I’ll wait to see Sevastian at the theater tonight" Reluctant to turn her back on hiain

She didn’t rabbed her arm

She cried out and shoved at his chest with her free hand "What are you doing?"

He ignored her and cla her toward the open door of the carriage She dragged her heels, but her soft-soled slippers slid like butter over the ground

"Stop!" she cried, certain Sev was not behind any of this, but herwhy Malcolher off her feet, squeezing her ribs to the point of agony

And with those words, she knew she absolutely had to fight He meant her har hies of her vision blurred Realizing how close she inched toward swooning, she bucked against hith

He cursed His arms loosened and she broke free for a fraction of ahis fingers deep into her hair He spun her around and slapped her soundly in the face

Her head snapped back She bit the inside of her cheek, and the copper tang of blood filled herover her teeth in a warm, metallic flood

Stunned froone fro her up in his are She was di down beside her

The carriage started toher on the squabs, and she panicked, a fist wringing her heart Seized with the need to act, she ju her body at the door, grappling for the latch, her hair a wild tangle around her

"Oh no you don’t!" Malcolrabbed her by the back of the neck and shoved her forward, crashing her head into the carriage door with crushing force

Her body cru in her skull

She toppled back onto the carriage floor as though every bone in her body had suddenly dissolved, was nothing more than liquid

Unable to e ceiling as darkness crept over her in a descending fog from which she could never escape SevHer lips moved numbly around his name

Malcolm’s face filled her hazy vision

She lifted a hand in a weak attempt to strike him, to claw at his shadowy face, but she never ht

And then there was nothing

E vening light trickled through the damask drapes as Sev faced his future father-in-law in his well-appointed library

"What do you love to be lost"

"She’s not here," Jack repeated, waving his hands "She took no carriage All the one"

Cleo cleared her throat froantly attired in a grand gown fringed with satiny pink rosettes, ostensibly ready for their evening at the theater It only served to re with Grier

He stared pointedly at Cleo "Did you want to say so? Do you knohere Grier is?"

"I didn’t want to say anything sooner, but as you’re here nowclearly so of Grier’s whereabouts?" Jack snapped "We’ve been looking for her for hours now and you haven’t uttered a word,"

Cleo ignored Jack, training her gaze on Sev "She received a letter this afternoonfroether all this time"

His heart stuttered in his chest before it picked up speed and began racing "I didn’t send her any note"

"She rushed from the room as soon as it was delivered She didn’t say, but I suspected that the two of you planned to rendezvous"

"Who delivered it?" His gaze yanked to Jack "Assemble all the servants at once"