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on the light. Taking the steps two at a time, Flint
stopped, his hard grey eyes meeting hers in a look of
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disdain. She swallowed, standing stiffly erect, and
waited for him to speak.
'Kirsty said you were going to bed.'
Puzzled, Liane nodded and again waited for him to
speak.
'You're supposed to have a headache.'
'Yes yes, I have '
'You blush when you lie. Have you a headache?' he
asked, and Liane could only produce a stumbling nega-
tive. 'My aunt expected to see you at her party; she was
bitterly disappointed when you failed to arrive.' Flint's
voice was cold, impersonal, but his grey eyes bored
into her. She felt the strength of his contempt while at
the same time being aware that he was about to ask her
to come to the party. In an attempt to forestall him she
said,
'I can't come to your house, Flint. I'm sorry. Please
convey my sincere apologies to your aunt. I've sent a
small present with Kirsty ' She stopped as the
muscles round his mouth contracted. It was plain that
his aunt's happiness on this occasion of her birthday
was of the utmost importance to him.
'Why can't you come?' he demanded almost harshly.
'How can I be a guest in your home after
after ?'
There's no need to bring that up,' he cut in harshly.
'I told you to forget it!' He paused a moment. 'Are you
coming to Aunt Miriam's party?'
Automatically she shook her head, saw his eyes
darken beneath their hooded lids, giving him a for-
midable expression.
'I should feel uncomfortable,' she confessed. 'After
what happened '
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'I've told you to forget it!'
'I'm sorry. It's difficult for me to forget, because I
feel so blameworthy.'
Ignoring this, Flint asked her again if she was com-
ing to the party, adding in cool, brusque accents,
'As I've said, my aunt was bitterly disappointed
when you didn't arrive. She seems to have taken an
extraordinarily strong liking to you, and to be quite
honest I don't think any of the other guests matter
much to her at all.'
A trifle dazed by this, Liane puckered her forehead
in a frown and murmured,
'I can't think why. I've met her only twice.' Yet she
recalled how she herself had taken to Aunt Miriam
and knew she would experience regret on saying good-
bye for the last time.
'She's always been rather eccentric in some things,'
was his comment, which was not very flattering to
Liane. There are occasions when it's impossible to
account for how she thinks, and acts.' Liane said noth-
ing. She was fully sensible of the fact that although
Flint wanted her to go to the party, he could never
bring himself to plead with her. She looked at him,
immaculate in an off-white suit of linen, his bronzed
features cold and forbidding even though his eyes held
anxiety in their depths. He was a wonderful person,
really, she thought, wanting as he did for this evening
to be one that his old aunt would remember as a happy
time. What right had she, Liane, to spoil everything
for her?
'I'll come,' she said with decision. 'I'll have to
change, though.'
She almost heard the indrawing of his breath which
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betrayed his relief that she had agreed to attend the
party.
'Of course. I'll wait here.'
'I'll be as quick as I can.'
It was a quarter of an hour later that she returned,
having dressed hurriedly, and yet in spite of this she
was quite happy with her appearance. She wore a long
evening gown with a halter neck. Of a colour rather
lighter than slate blue, it fitted tightly at the waist,
flowed down in gamers to what should have been the
hemline. But then the material folded over, came up to
drape her shoulders, and fastened with a diamante clip
at the front. In effect, the garment was a dress and
evening cloak all in one, the skirt of the dress dividing
into two parts by being split from about nine inches
above the ankle, thus giving the two sides to the cloak.
A half-inch trimming of silver lame, starting at a point
where the skirt divided, followed the two edges of the
cloak right up to the neckline.
Flint's interest when she appeared was unmistak-
able. He was unable to take his eyes off her and his
stare lasted for what seemed an eternity before he said,
obviously forgetting foj the moment all that had re-
cently passed between them,
'You look enchanting, Liane.'
She blushed, embarrassment sweeping over her be-
cause she, unlike Flint, was thinking of that intimate
scene and feeling thoroughly ashamed of herself. Flint's
flattery only added to her discomfiture and she would
rather he had refrained from passing any comment at
all. However, it seemed that he was fascinated by the
dress and, looking at the point where it touched the
floor, he commented in a puzzled voice,
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The dress and cloak won't separate or have I, as a
mere male, missed something?'
She had to smile.
'No, you haven't missed anything. There's only one
garment really.'
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