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The light went out

“Oh, Delilah,” he whispered “You’ll be the death of me”

Twenty times in the next half hour he turned to leave, and twenty tih it was painful to reo—not while hisThe black, unruly hair that fell so easily into disorder and alwaysthick pillows in the flickering light of a single candleto see the shadows playing upon the fine bones of her face and the soft light reflected in her lustrous eyes, like ed for so much more To touch her to feel her touch those restless hands in his hair and so much more still He wanted to scream

His heart coainst his ribs because he knehat he was going to do even as he was co to do because Max had told him how to do it, had described a dozen times how he’d done it himself

Not to put too fine a point upon it, Mr Langdon proceeded to scale the walls of the house The as open, after all, practically shouting at him So, like a common thief, he climbed up to it

One kiss, he promised himself as he paused halfway over the sill Just one chaste kiss He would not even waken her—good grief, he’d better not—and then he would go

He crept noiselessly across the thick carpet towards the bed Though there was no flickering candle, there was sufficient ht to outline the form: a dark head upon a white pillow He bent over her face

Instantly, a hand seized his wrist, jerking hiainst his chest Jack cautiously tried to pull away

“Another rave man,” she whispered

He froze

The hand on his wrist tightened, and the pistol tried to force its way into his lungs

“Don’t,” he said

“Jack,” she whispered “Why it’s only you”

Nonetheless, the weapon rean to perspire

“Yes,” he said edgily “Will you please put that away?”

“And leave myself defenceless? Certainly not”

“It’s only ing your nails into my wrist,” he complained

He heard a derisive sniff

“No harhwayht You’re a blackguard, Mr Langdon I really can’t understand how I let myself be so deceived in you”

Actually, he thought, it was better to have the pistol jaht mean harm in spite of himself, because he was too close to her He was acutely conscious of a faint fragrance which reminded him of roses after a rain

“Miss Desmond, this is an extremely uncomfortable position In another moment, my spine will snap”

“Just as well That will be et the stains out of the bed clothes”

He tried to shake off the vise-like grip “You won’t shoot me,” he said firmly

“I don’t see why not The world rather expected so of the sort, and I should so hate to disappoint them Why are you here?” she demanded

There was no point in pretending—even if he’d been capable of forhed “I only wanted to kiss you,” he said, though he was embarrassed as soon as he’d said it “Just once, before I leave To—to say good-bye”

“Only to say good-bye?” she asked “Why, you ate I know it’s locked Then up the house—and there is not much foothold because they’ve cut back the ivy Really, that was reckless of you, though quite romantic But you are a desperate villain, and I suppose I have no choice but to let you kiss me”

A kiss? What the devil had he been thinking of? He could never leave contented with a single kiss

He could probably never leave at all—unless he did so now

“I—I had better not,” he said, panicking He needed to pull away, but he was concerned the pistol would go off At the moment, he was not certain whether he’d prefer to be shot, but the noise would arouse the household, and that would never do, he thought wildly