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Tiet herself under control

The tears welled up and spilled over She let the a hand to swipe theround pool and the jetty Several ave the stretch that led eventually to the graveled road around the walled garden

Her unspoken love for Rafe see her up from inside She ached to say the words, to have theood man with a true heart

And yet she feared to give hiroundless fear She knew that Rafe would not betray her He’d given her his word to be true, and he lived by his word

Still, she kept flashing on thatherself into his arms and slammed her open mouth to his

To banish that ie, she broke into a run—until she had to stop and catch her breath She paced in circles, pausing to bend at the waist, sucking in great gulps of air, finally stretching her calves a little with the help of a sturdy oak tree to lean against

Out on the lake, a couple drifted in a rowboat They waved to her and she waved back She put her hand on the slight swell of her belly

All was right with the baby He—or she—was safe and cozy in there But Genny promised herself she would slon a little, not push so hard She only needed to keep going for a while, needed solitude and steady h

She walked on at a brisk pace, Brooke’s furious accusations echoing in her head It wasn’t that anything Brooke had said was news It was only to have to hear it right out loud like that, in front of everyone Because she had wanted Hart And no romantic illusions about Edere left to her now She would have et Hartmore, just as Brooke had said

And she hadRafe to insist onwhat she’d alanted: to be a DeValery and mistress of Hartmore

She veered off the lake path and walked fast beside a cru stone wall By then, she was hardly aware of her location, let alone of the direction her swiftlyher The stretched-out elastic slid down her ponytail and fell off She ignored it, shoving her hair behind her ears and letting it hang free

Eventually, she did pause She looked around and tried to figure out exactly where she’d co this unknown path? She hadn’t seen a single soul since she’d waved to that couple boating on the lake

And when had she left the lake trail? Definitely before she reached the road to the walled garden