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The back of his neck prickled in anger So this was how she was going to repay his mother for her kindness, was it?

‘What were you doing downstairs at this tiht?’

The pink in her cheeks went a shade darker but her eyes re a drink’

His gaze briefly went to the milk on the bench ‘Is that all?’ he asked

Her brows snapped together and the pink in her cheeks turned red Angry red Defensive red ‘What do youthe silver while you sleep?’ Her eyes flashed at hi in a whitened line ‘Why don’t you check each drawer to see if I’ve pinched any of your precious heirlooms?’

She started -awaited search warrant Opening cupboards wildly, banging doors, pulling out draith savage jerks of her hands There was an air of mania about her Of hysteria about to erupt She pulled open the silverware drawer of the oak sideboard so quickly the contents landed in a clattering, deafening heap on the floor

She stood looking at the jumbled mess of his mother’s silverware in frozen silence

And then, right in front of his eyes, she started to crack It was like watching an ice sculpture fracture, centiue dashed out over her lips Her stiff angry posture faltered Her shoulders trembled Her torso folded ‘I’an to reach for the silverware but he could see her hands were shaking aled to pick up a teaspoon before it dropped with a ping to the floor

He crouched down beside her and put a hand over her tre one ‘Leave it’

Her eyes were trained on his chin as if she couldn’t bring herself to aze, but her tone was resentful and snarly ‘Don’t you want to count them?’

So about her attempt to sound defiant when she was clearly so upset touched hi its fur up to look tough against a big scary dog ‘It can wait’ He searched her expression for a moment ‘Hey, are you OK?’