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"Will she see Julian?"

"Yes"

Their meals were put before them and Tyler thanked their server Allison picked up her fork, pushing her food around

"You really should eat," he told her

"Yes, I’ a piece of broccoli as if to prove it She was beginning to sound fine again

When she’d finished--consu on her plate--he offered her a few ibuprofen caplets toon

She took thelass of water and then sipped her third cup of coffee

Again, he set a hand on hers This time, she didn’t pull away "I can help you," he said

She nodded "You’re a decent person, and I appreciate it But I have to helpit was business as usual

"Well, if you want any of us to help you in any way, just say the word"

She smiled--a real smile A sincere smile "Thank you I do feel much better You’ve helpedif eren’t investigating the house? If it was your day off?"

"Since I’"

"About the house?"

"Acade on the history of the house?" he asked

"Not the house itself Well, in a way I’ a study of the British occupation, and the social and political ramifications The situation between Lucy Tarleton and Beast Bradley and his relationship with the Tarleton-Dandridge family are an excellent example of the complex political climate at the time That on the Revolution was prettyforces, on land and sea Taking nothing away fro troops and he was facing horrendous firepoere losingThat’s why I ad that declaration ned it, knowing they were up against unbelievable odds I wonder if I could have done it," she ad is on Beast Bradley"

She picked up her coffee cup "I started researching him more or less by accident The story that we know has been handed down,Oh, the foundations are fact--Beast Bradley did take over the house, the Tarleton fa that period and Lucy Tarleton waswritten about the event that wasn’t secondhand I realize Lucy couldn’t have told the story herself, but Angus never wrote about it The first person to put anything on paper was the first Dandridge to own the house--Sophia’s husband, Tobias"

"There have to be ," Tyler said

"I’ured I’d try to get to a few places where they’ve preserved letters and journals froe andI could find e I’ve been in touch with an amateur historian there who’s really interested in this period We know Lucy went fro the occupation She must have been acquainted with a nuel of es, blankets--things that were desperately needed Of course, her main mission was to provide inforh the barricades was limited She must have been a truly heroic and sys," he said

"The paintings in Lucy’s bedroous’s study?" Allison asked "They are very different The one in Lucy’s bedrooe family had it, and supposedly, it’d been there since the British occupation"

"Don’t you think that’s odd?"

"Yes, but we never really knohy people do what they do," Allison said "Unless they tell us, and even then…" She started to lift her cup; it clattered as it fell back into the saucer

"What’s wrong?" Tyler asked She’d seen so behind hi more

She stared down at the table

"Allison?"

She shook her head, then picked up her cup again Her fingers were long and elegant with silvery polish on the nails She held her cup firo now?"

"Of course" He gestured at the waiter, then quickly paid the check when it came He escorted her from the restaurant with his hand on her back She see in self-confidence, but he didn’t think she was dying to be in his aran to sht where she was now