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But everyone else wrote with their right hand, her teachers had insisted Surely she didn't want to be different

Caroline coughed to cover up her shted to be "different" This felloould expect her to write with her right hand, as he and the rest of his acquaintances undoubtedly did Well, she'd be happy to give hiht hand, picked up a quill, dipped it in the ink, and looked at hilad you've decided to cooperate," he said "I'm sure you'll find it most beneficial to your health"

She snorted and rolled her eyes

"Now then," he said, staring at her with shrewd intensity "Do you know Oliver Prewitt?"

There was no use denying that one He'd seen her leaving the house just the night before Still, there was no point in wasting her secret weapon on such a si have you known hiht about that one She had no idea how long Carlotta De Leon had been working with Oliver, if indeed that was the case, but she also suspected that thein front of her with folded arms didn't know, either

Best to tell the truth, her mother had always said, and Caroline didn't see any reason to depart from this policy now It would be easier to keep her stories straight if they were as truthful as possible Let's see, she had been living with Oliver and Percy for a year and a half, but she'd known theers, still wanting to save her handwriting for an answer that was nice and complex

"Four months?"

She shook her head

"Four years?"

She nodded

"Good God," Blake breathed They'd had no idea that Prewitt had been s Two years, they'd thought, possibly two and a half When he thought of all of the missions that had been compromised … Not to mention the lives that must have been lost as a result of Prewitt's treason So one His own dearest …

Blake blazed with anger and guilt "Tell me the exact nature of your relationship," he ordered, his voice clipped

Tell you? she mouthed

"Write it!" he roared

She took a deep breath, as if preparing herself for soan to write

Blake blinked Then he blinked again

She looked up at hi in?" he demanded

She drew back, clearly affronted

"For the record, I don't read Spanish, so kindly write the answer in English Or, if you prefer, French or Latin"

She wagged her finger at him and made some sort of motion he wasn't able to interpret

"I repeat," he bit off, "write down the exact nature of your relationship with Oliver Prewitt!"