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CHAPTER ONE

‘I’M SORRY, Josie But Charles is dead’

‘But he can’t be I’aze away frolance frantically around the room, unaware of the stunned silence her comment had caused Her father was seated on the sofa, while Major Zarcourt was at his desk, but there was no sign of Charles Zarcourt The look of shock on her father’s face registered and to her horror she realised she’d spoken out loud, before the sound of sardonic laughter broke the silence

Her violet eyes swung back to the tall, darkby the drinks cabinet It was Conan Zarcourt who had delivered the thunderbolt And, of course, it was Conan who’d laughed! She eous staterily

Immaculate in a dark business suit and crisp blue shirt, Conan was leaning against the cabinet with a glass of alass to his lass back doith unnecessary force, the expression on his ruggedly attractive face hard to define He looked ht, he looked positively venouish in his dark eyes But she rim smile

‘Letto need one,’ he offered bluntly:

‘No No alcohol for e juice’ Even in her shocked state Josie still had the sense to realise she couldn’t drink in her condition

‘As you wish’ Conan’s lass with juice and then walked towards her

He held the glass out to Josie She looked down at his large hand and back up into his face Was it only a couple of o that she’d walked into the study, and been stopped in her tracks by Conan’s outrageous response to her casual enquiry, “Has Charles arrived early?”

Her fingers brushed against Conan’s as she took the glass he offered, and her hand trehtly What was it about Conan that even when he was at hisstupid jokes about his half-brother Charles, her body reacted alarly when he was around?

She stared up at theover her With thick black hair, broad forehead, a straight, rather large nose, and wide mouth and square jaw, Conan wasn’t conventionally handsoh-hewn for that, but it was still strangely coe he had visited Beeches Manor only twice in the ten years Josie had lived in the area

The first ti after the jumble stall at the church suone to get her a cold drink when a man impeccably dressed in a three-piece suit had appeared