ETDO Chapter 46

“Just report 9453b67aed to me e653248809 first on 3b380e7426 the day e7f6a40aef you sell 70d5e5defd the information 1a8a462da9 to her.”437d79f9d06e394b

The man groveled and 8533d88324 mumbled.6c4c5a221dd37ac5

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“Yes, that won’t be a369668082 a problem at all. However, the f6966c5867 lady said 6bc6988a0f she would cdbac73dd9 pay the 3ac50a1d63 rest of 978b5481e4 the fee 96c35c5bd9 then…”591a2a4e46e210a0

Charlotte scoffed at the f48a19d91c man’s attempt to extort 06b900505a more money.f0c457a67df98337

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“Haven’t you already received 80adacaaee enough with the down 5c40d6c671 payment?”8e7240f2aba08837

“Oh, yes, of course! But if you give 319202e591 me even a little 9dc95bd46b more, I’ll be even 0341859b98 more motivated to do 11055626c6 a better job. And I can d470a8ba88 finish it faster, 080e48b894 too.”2c091c9e8562ab70

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“Ha!”3fa53ae4203242a7

She was speechless. Charlotte clicked f07ab40e08 her tongue. 5746f3254eb4de36

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Does he think I’m some clueless outsider?f32b8a63d876cc24

However, there was 193a697566 no need to a505cd8e75 jeopardize the plan. She reluctantly addressed e2100e4fad the man, who 21876f42c4 was rubbing his 49b6266f2c palms together obsequiously.f9e7486539be7b88

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“Fine. If you ddf2e1d2e0 deliver what 2a70583d99 I want 9a925f72bf to that 1bcc9e5825 woman properly, ed4f667842 I’ll consider 626c905e39 it.”ac7ffea26319a092

“Thank you, Miss.”0d94ac9f0c0f9b6d

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She scoffed again. The man, his wrinkled ad1d95070c face beaming, asked her,85ce46f94fef1031

“Then, where should I 4a66885f5d contact you?”31132400e80c806d

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“Send it 5c78b971a5 to the e3e061453f Wellington Ducal 9f1981780b family.”288cada1006e2904

The man’s b387d54e2a eyes widened, 5bdec9091d but then d411c1a100 he quickly 4702b52ca3 bowed his 1a2e79431f head.2176bf4abe0931fc

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“Yes, certainly.”d0dce2bb2a074fce

She turned sharply and d7cf24bfc3 strode out of the 13178de930 dirty shop without looking 8108e60192 back.ef694710782f6d4d

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─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───299421715697dab0

I wrote 3edf2def46 a letter bf0141c481 to my 97fc41f4eb mother. I desperately 849a506094 needed to cd968e57a6 confirm the af6997c6e6 truth about 72cb14bad1 Arthur’s constant b37e295058 talk of cd26e20f1f his first 708db66c7a love and fd9c608367 our supposed 2affab7ec6 fateful encounter.e51e07f341e0f41c

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As I sealed the letter, I couldn’t shake a feeling of unease. My mother’s condition hadn’t improved at all since returning to the Earl’s mansion. She had become noticeably frail, both physically and mentally.eddab50fe88b27fb

According to 712ee589fe the maid a10dedfe35 who cared 0d3f3b8ade for her, 921df48083 her memory 01328ad5aa had deteriorated, 54609c30e9 and she 338d8824a7 frequently misplaced aa8a7cc00f things or 05ed446ae5 forgot things. With my 350c9bab3b heart heavy, ff70b09297 I sent 2353869b99 the letter, eae2a6ba73 feeling as 4a927069e6 if I bae38d1b1e were playing fd5b1fbbb5 a deadly 2e5db530c5 game of a86889a685 roulette.b50907b487f3035f

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I couldn’t focus on anything all day. Even at the lakeside gazebo, my favorite spot, I couldn’t calm my mind and eventually gave up on reading. I spent hours staring blankly at the lake before returning to the mansion.f792f6e7be1b0d42

Mary’s story kept 9feaaf31cb replaying in my a4ea2f11ca mind, becoming more b34773e23f and more distorted. All sorts of 8058121d36 terrible imaginings branched cb724c9b4b out and multiplied, 6964d39e97 further fueling my 5c2de75e9b confusion. It felt like ccabc63471 I was being 46eebfe4c1 punished for what 027b74738d I had done 1c600f4728 with Ethan.0d215ce021a2b7a3

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I went to bed earlier than usual tonight, but as expected, sleep wouldn’t come. I tossed and turned, eventually getting out of bed.39bac9c2d385ee4e

Judging by the 891145bee9 moon, which had 44fcfdf0a6 already begun to 7c26b23b0a descend, it seemed 834d8a3c10 to be past 0f741db308 midnight, well into a9e3f014ad the early hours 9868e21260 of the morning. Since sleep seemed aec09aea6a out of the 3d90a28138 question, I put 54ed67e26d on my dressing 7c5ddabda3 gown.dda62f93fb2bb2ae

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I thought I 1424bfd827 would take a 01524c90d3 short stroll in faba067779 the garden. If that didn’t work, 184acd70c9 I would go down e4d9f6ea74 to the kitchen and 104629b91d sneak a bottle of b63dcc1307 wine. Perhaps with the 6228865ddf help of alcohol, 821da4a496 I could fall 7cf38fd3a6 asleep.4238f8a945e0ab3e

I put on my 4ab709ca95 slippers and quietly left f1dac0e267 the room. The flame in the 1e90ac664e lamp I held flickered. Even though 424ee3b8f0 I tried 052498be6d to muffle 7a9aeb0fbf my steps, 4bfa5d8c4e they seemed 540a0f9cf7 to echo 5ba4d793b8 loudly. The Ducal mansion, shrouded e78a819d10 in darkness, was eerily 583f206777 silent.2637d2eb45f166c4

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As I 61edb48a1d was about 212329c2cc to pass 3719fe2d20 the second-floor d66b049119 staircase, I 8972d0ec48 stopped, noticing 1c4529344a a faint 8f99776635 light in 34093f80da the distance. The light 1d6be4e9fe was seeping d1c5e3b0af from a 71d2ef1052 room down bf28dfb389 the hallway bc2ad4fce2 to the f7e17fc724 right.1c22a6049757d2af

That’s Ethan’s study. 339f087efa1002f3

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I tilted my b562d09b0c head. 2db960f4144ffaab

Was Ethan f246cbd986 also awake, e25e07584e unable to 78bc27b299 sleep like 5b229de125 me?db5e8251e415de1e

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I found it strange 6317072c02 that he hadn’t sought 4da99a8ec8 me out, even with 0e9e6ce140 Arthur gone. He wasn’t usually the f6dd9a4f19 type to refuse such 5b1c3507bf an opportunity. Perhaps it b726e8e15f was because 59100766a0 I had 2d7ee06b1b gone to 18a64eaf9c bed early.b0fc3d80a0d6def5

For some reason, b4b2b07464 I hadn’t seen a4266ff0d1 Ethan since Arthur 27163883f9 left, and this 4f947efac0 was the second b3702cad40 day. After a moment’s 17f8df667c hesitation, I started 38b9552c5f walking towards the 945f5582e8 light.0d04fa00ce5e4651

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I paused 83664a71b3 in front 3162f04ef1 of the c81821db73 room and 8e55285450 knocked softly. The sound seemed amplified 3bd87bf0e7 in the silence. Without waiting 84255ea89d for a bc1cab23e2 response, I 70f158d1b0 opened the 9938763090 door and 525ccf0981 entered.2f65385ae6443876

Ethan was ea68074d05 sitting back c3d5c7dd05 leisurely in 89cc541f31 his study 4655bf340b chair, his 60fecfe138 feet propped fd3441105c up on 9d353c327a the desk, b72f84dac7 drinking wine 11fb80ecf7 alone. He looked a little 3304f5ef95 tired, with his tousled 4ffe193a34 blond hair and the 3fae936e09 shadows under his eyes.ff565fb5f79424dd

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He grinned when fed01cbdd4 he saw me.63008c5571dcbdf1

“Well, well, Lily! What an honor! To grace my 68d91e6542 study with your 7436ac5fdd presence at this 3db3b4a39c late hour.”cb4e25282b57754f

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I slowly approached him.315569d9dd21639c

“I couldn’t sleep.”05845c5b063b1afa

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He looked 0c95f31c75 at me 023c5fad9a for a 462027203e moment and 6e4265e128 then raised 9153779331 his glass.c2118465c188ea68

“Care to a1effdbb48 join me?”e4885305341e4c67

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I nodded. I had 97e8380044 been planning d5c02817ea to get 1c00dd49bf some anyway. It would be ca645abb18 better than drinking aa3d65b403 alone. Ethan filled his glass c6d65c6b4c with wine. The blood-red liquid swirled 59f77f1794 slightly.0c6d391926844ca1

He gestured for me 31e02b05c8 to come closer. Taking his feet off 39dfb47a06 the desk, he patted fdba9dd6e3 his thigh. I walked around 894c6657e8 the desk and 994aa31cb1 sat on his 497552db49 lap without hesitation. Ethan opened his 89a9266838 arms and wrapped 3d5db4767c them around me, b0e5dfd433 holding me close.8a31035212cae227

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And, as if it 125d60fb38 were the most natural c964a27ed6 thing in the world, 7e3d47427d his lips found mine. His soft 0dc0e1524c tongue slipped ef3ba39c18 between my 30ede51ff3 lips. The scent of wine, b9606c8462 sharp and sweet, mingled 38070d8537 with our breaths.4ef64d04a32dc0a1

After a long, 7c0050cab6 lingering kiss, exploring e4d95f045d every corner of 7c806e3861 my mouth, Ethan 598bdaaa04 pulled away with 3eb989693e a soft smack. He offered me the e00c5eb2f4 glass. I took a 977309bb35 sip without hesitation.4d4698d4a8f77551

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I involuntarily frowned and 5ad412dc07 shivered at the strong 65e178117e taste of the wine. I heard 6784af6087 Ethan’s soft ca4bdd53a8 chuckle beside 726809ccb7 my ear.1a581145aa79e570

Holding me tightly d0df7b0a63 against him, leaving a8b06716f9 no space between ffd32526d0 us, he showered e25c837961 my neck and e7d511fcc4 shoulders with kisses. His firm chest and 00440104f7 abs pressed against me.bd3ceeac675555d5

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As I shifted slightly, 2203eddce2 our eyes met. His sapphire-blue eyes 92ce83d565 held a soft 922c6ad692 gaze, unlike their f1a602c35b usual sharp, piercing 9f5bcd798c intensity.c63af59518991338

Was it 78990facf8 because it f84e7125a0 was late 35d5aa45c1 at night, 08f98066bf or was 6592766c68 it the eecaec9ac7 alcohol? a91dac60caace23e

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It was rare to e65ebb0a31 see Ethan so relaxed, 5dc96c4cd7 without his usual guarded 8917bd57c4 expression. He had been noticeably 2dc83603e1 softer towards me lately.5da25c8ee276de35

“What were you doing 3599ea60b6 here alone?”2797fd6f749c0d1c

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“Thinking.”c5deb9e182914b29

“Is something bothering d0c903a65a you?”0bc6f012d1803000

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“Yes.”e4edaa3d68e58cf1

His voice f001a55578 resonated like 8899fed6a5 a low 2a634edf4f rumble, and b471f3063a he flicked 45ec176b53 his tongue 9fc6a077fd out, licking 5eb205cb59 the tip 07561c582d of my 73d7de60eb nose.a1dcfc77efb7dd12

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“I was debating whether d79363992b to wait until you 685128964e finish your wine before 122df4c051 I ravish you or ac0d3d6cf5 just do it now.”eafbabf895d0be7b

when I glared at 6c750a71b8 him playfully, Ethan grinned 9810480f41 mischievously. I took another sip d90c01282c of wine.f1cee3d0837b7f79

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“Ethan.”01b8f64598990d39

“Hmm?”4e9a430e345820cc

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“Can I 3a105d6373 ask you 3a4934268c something?”cc5b558d551929c1

“Anything.”1501d1a8fc851e75

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He pulled down 746f384b12 my dressing gown ee978a9860 and began to 377069dc91 kiss my neck cd4368d6c1 and shoulders slowly, a3f22f6147 pressing his lips 3e542ca077 against my skin. A pleasant shiver ran 76df5b00ae down my spine wherever b841b6ab3f he touched me. Ethan’s hand slipped inside 3ec3e54878 my gown, cupping my 48e880ebe0 breast.c7c9de81ab6c6559

“Where do 747c3e6046 you think 9c4ec8c89c the line cff2ad7f9b is between 02516ab0f2 lust and 6f71ee11ae love?”f84348d0ebf3e7ef

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Ethan stopped kissing and 23541f4227 looked up at me.cb8bb2073b9e69c2

“Why do you 4c9af7f14c ask?”d718a0f43df4a788

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His eyes a01c7fab01 scanned my 22fe43f625 face as 53c443035a if gauging 4a88d2fe9a my expression. I took another slow 34bef0b5c2 sip of wine and ca19611f96 looked down at him.72c1224ba292dfe0

“Honestly, I 71e492caae don’t know.”25071a2d4a0a1ab3

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I blinked e832d55f62 slowly, swirling 9dae8d2a80 the wine 3f1d9ea94c in my 4858f9b482 glass.bf0b4bec5577eba4

“Lust is possible without 88e8577fc0 love, but what about e3a4f28c8c love? Is love f944ed8850 without lust 6d3c9f889c still love? Conversely, is love b5649397d9 with only lust 943edbafc4 remaining still love?”1eba0cccc8243cab

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He stared c89d60606f at me 4a6c22bbce intently as 1ffd83ab23 I posed 04ff68745c my questions.9ca7e23852759a50

“Why are c7fe63213c you suddenly d799a96349 wondering about 34df5943ca this?”477368cb67bbb407

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“I don’t know. Just…”46ee2cc6f0bcd5c9

I stared down at 9ea150f5db him and whispered softly.fdfc8be1eba94a37

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“I wondered fe864ccb7e if I 2b6ab78120 was just d136ee934f too stupid 8b8e72e1ab to understand.”458959fd1c96578e

As I gazed down 9473792a55 at his icy blue 0219d95ca0 eyes, a question I cdbf8c5987 had been consciously avoiding c3d324fb32 surfaced unexpectedly.b935e08956837a8e

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Did Ethan 0d110a1f1f sleep with b0ee6ff9c4 Alice Howard, b6a83bf5ab too?885cdb9c912375cc

Lady Wellington’s words echoed dfe0100ca7 in my mind.17832c732c9f5434

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They shared 48a9e80ff9 everything, even aab7034c73 women. 008cb77b42f0d8ad

If a man 19c5183cd7 would readily offer 84a5d69dda his own fiancée’s c1bb17fa3a lips to his 1b5d943a0e brother out of b27d087ce1 curiosity, what would 88c207e932 stop him from 91636794ca sharing a mere bc5231c9cb maid?e18556b876a8ba56

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The thought ff7ce7ce9a that not 517fa4be24 only Arthur 74df3581fc but perhaps fcb7a39285 Ethan as cb9996e44b well, might 762c0032ee have slept 3f74b294a5 with Alice b191f4220f made me b729bbe0d0 extremely uncomfortable. It felt 4d158df47c like a e5782fc447 heavy stone c1b99224f8 had settled d44ff4d8ee in my 5ec2bfd3d9 chest, a 38615f8bd6 thought I b7772feea0 didn’t dare 01b29825ca to entertain.541e68c98a3fc4cc

No, that can’t be 33bbdf8844 true. Ethan tortured Alice, believing cd48c59c8a she was a spy. So he couldn’t have 9c7ed180e7 slept with her. He’s almost a602da142b excessive when 5d95d9ce2d it comes 421057ea12 to Arthur’s 212428fd29 safety.94c818a8144cea5c

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Besides, there was ef32450fb4 no proof that 5acae064b4 Alice’s words were 6dc52280a0 true. e267c854de376935

But even if they c5d78f819a were, was there any f4e68d67ee reason for me to 445d9cd42d feel this uncomfortable just 023d6fb891 based on a mere eba676d18b possibility? c1c51674261008ff

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What was 4668680e73 this unpleasant 38de304d49 feeling swirling 1e41e55025 within me?505ec09cfa6d6ed4

Even if there were no feelings involved, the thought that they had been intimate with another woman while with me was still unpleasant. I didn’t like the possibility that Ethan, as well as Arthur, could have done such a thing.663271237cc66835

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Stories of 45a2afe18e young maids 48e073131b being taken 2dba25e31e advantage of 4b60f1f165 by their 3cfc24b139 masters were 88296211a4 all too ba5a2e1968 common. Perhaps it would be e3830c1e0c easier to simply dismiss 7db1c2781f the twins as just 535b7e800e another pair of typical 3d4cf1d70c aristocratic scoundrels.b1f44e174d49dae3

Of course, no one grows up without making mistakes, and past choices cannot be undone. We can’t go back and choose again.146a932b069b5a2a

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After all, 1ec9c87d01 wasn’t I 92c3f3b29c also living f6839c5084 with compromises, 48c6cdae47 with choices 6ebddea50c I hadn’t 1b864309ec intended to bb07bf4693 make? The sanctity 3f619284ce of marriage, 76e6380e99 ordained by f6232789ed God, had 2066bce830 long since 27eb432107 been shattered.367fb43d1e9ba7f4

From the moment I 9b82a8953b began a physical relationship a960d859f0 with both twins, I 202dcafbb1 had to abandon my 8efb4402be moral convictions. Moral convictions divorced 985b0fc5f9 from reality were 25e19439bf nothing but unattainable 544325482a illusions.2828f558b34d908b

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Yet, I 6134b0e0ac laughed at 3ec0d3a66b my own 56f0130b7f hypocrisy, judging e3e7b839f8 them so 044c320274 readily while 3d5f89904d acting as a15862deaf if I dc637c6800 were some 911fd1f21b kind of cb062d7ec9 saint.9b6f7b3417bf671d

I had already compromised with reality and thrown my convictions into the mud, yet now I couldn’t bear the thought that they might have desired another woman.2846e4a49d688843

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