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‘You guessed,’ he said, o to tell Lizzie that her arded him coldly

‘This isn’t a free choice, Chico,’ Serena had infordean, and as such you’re a servant ill do as you are told’

‘I’ innocent of such things back then, he had no doubt that his eyes had been wide as saucers

‘You will be afraid if you don’t do exactly as I say,’ Serena had promised ‘You’ve seen too much, so if you leave now I’ll say you raped me—and I have at least twenty witnesses to back me up’

At that point he’d noticed Lord Fane for the first tirand aristocrat had been seated in a chair that looked so at his feet As their eyes had met across a scene more reminiscent of Sodom and Goht he was staying in, the expression in Lizzie’s father’s eyes had assured hiood on, and that Lizzie’s father would have no hesitation in backing her mother up

She suspected thereback, because it would da Chico wanted was to hurt her The idea of heron Chico when he had expected so much et right to the botto else?’ she asked hiht as well get it all out now Reirl now, and we trust each other, don’t we?’

‘What do you want me to tell you? I was naïve’

‘And I was fifteen,’ she countered

‘I had no excuse,’ Chico insisted, still deterrew up in the barrio—I saw my brother killed in front of ahlands, and allowed myself to be seduced by the beauty of the countryside, and the kindness of the people, and I failed entirely to see the sarand old house that had existed in my tin shack’

‘Only because you expected so ued, ‘and in the end we’re just people It doesn’t s—soutter, you found yourself here, mired in another type of filth I’ve been surrounded by lies allto lie to each other now’

‘You’re right,’ he agreed, ‘except for one thing I don’t regret co here with Eduardo If I hadn’t come here, ouldn’t haveher expression, he turned serious again ‘Are you still worried aboutthe estate?’

Lizzie thought for a moment, and then said honestly, ‘I can’t deny it will take so to leave the people ork here, and that’s what concerns me’

‘It will leave them exactly where they’ve always been This will be randmother I think she would be very pleased to know thathere as I did’

‘So that’s your plan?’ Lizzie exclaimed

‘What did you think?’

‘I don’t knohat I thought,’ she ad her head ‘But this is such a surprise—a wonderful surprise’

‘I’ve bought the house and everything in it, so you can ith h I wouldn’t advise it,’ Chico said wryly ‘When I’h’

He wanted thehted plan, but what could she offer the children? She didn’t have a diplo her hat Were the children supposed to wait until she resolved those issues?

‘Could I live here?’

‘I would hope so,’ Chico confir to stand in her way

‘I have to think about this I need to get back on ain first’

‘Yes,’ he agreed ‘You do And?’

‘Thatin yours’