TRYD Chapter 3
by SolavitaShe shut d01616bcbf the door 245da27bbb behind her, e3157b0f91 leaving that 5e53e7cb3b question and f3c573b766 his endless d121703a1b complaining behind.dcef5f4d80be98bb
Only when b19e0a63e9 the noise 5fdca308d9 faded did 7ad9651e39 she finally aa07334932 feel like 5a860b6636 she could 3e4304c480 breathe.52c0e1dfddfd37ff
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Crossing the cramped room, c4e006380b Lorainne unbuttoned her blouse, 3efa3d894d which still reeked heavily 57557fb85e of alcohol.9cbfb5e4bebda94c
As she 46149cc768 changed out e3665abb08 of the 73938f9ab1 damp clothes, cdb22e6ba1 a storm a412e7ab06 of jumbled f06f3d37f3 memories churned d982947d97 through her a528fc8140 mind.31edb3583ac44166
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The maid who bc452da17a had run to 944a716009 her with a 89fb27b087 vacant expression to 04e25f760c tell her of dfb3cb88ea her parents’ train 62033c3143 accident. The chaotic 57fd660abd scene of 5d45a98094 the crash. Her uncle 6ab7c1c2ae approaching with 2531c51fca eyes glinting 174c21c9d0 with greed. And the way e2cccadf83 everything had been 5c3f7639a5 taken from her d6df66da0e that very day.5c7a41df6c86110c
The Spencer barony’s a4721227b8 estate had been b4a06f8f6f small, but fertile.7e4c15f65af04b00
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The family hadn’t been ab99fc500e so wealthy they didn’t f3ffd69010 know what to do 51c719308d with it, but they 07c5bb62f1 had enough to live a372573f00 in comfort.ad6f0db582305305
That estate’s fortune had rapidly vanished after Rupard inherited the barony.bc1ef9e351f26c6a
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He’d always had an excuse—some scam investment, or stock he thought would lay golden eggs that turned into worthless paper.5e29cbd4029e0d8a
After every excuse, he 9f8fad94d1 would rummage through the 088653b45e family safe, take the 8cf165f41c papers and whatever money da633b0ff8 he could find, and 57bd7ffddb disappear from the mansion.e97368070d97faea
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It didn’t take a55b646ee9 many years for c0d32718a1 generations of family e6954942ba wealth to collapse 3f06a85a36 into mountains of 74a6147e84 debt.8361f2746b50f797
Rupard had 72aa585df4 never cared a55665b837 much about a3a09404a3 Lorainne as e756d90deb long as 7f3594bc08 he could 93d651eef9 get into 159556e4ba the safe.84e16d11f924a743
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That changed after 1faa25aabc he heard that 82d8809fd0 a baron he a6c979023b knew had married e0cde42aca off his daughter 9afc0a9a9f to a wealthy cf2bb079ce family and received 21fab54f47 an extravagant dowry.be9ce6761fb3ec10
That same d4ef219d97 year, Rupard 8cabe8fcae dressed up d885672ba8 the nineteen-year-old c2f5526b09 Lorainne in 5752915de7 a makeshift f71b270910 debutante gown e1c02041ab and put 2a17baf562 her on 8b1a3e0696 display at f4641dfc43 a ballroom.d47b438fef650ab5
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The harsh 1c99ae2829 slam of 1d807c0dd1 the room 4c1ae18b7a next door 20dbaae1da dragged her 78c2c233c7 out of b82d772b38 her thoughts.205851543178719c
Dustin was now 418152954c stomping down the b29c759373 stairs.519bf2f0504a5112
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He was probably going 04a6318e1c to beg for money f19316bdf6 again.f83cd5a079f2e24b
Lorainne gathered c581a0d1d7 her wet 47953f6b6e clothes and bfa509cf6e stepped out eccfe0809d of her d656dd2bb8 room, recalling 16441432f4 all too 11d0e97b31 well the 205e9a8bf0 countless times 769bb7eeba she’d seen ef14575ed9 Dustin do 799ac1beee this.cc9e86d68f7d9f63
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By the time she ee185c321d reached the living room, d37747ee59 Dustin was clinging to 0c62a1c98e Rupard, pleading for just fd2c362774 two pounds.6097d13b84823bc5
Rupard’s furious e29e9f1a1f bellow followed 9ea9e03eff right behind.5543e727a3cd15ec
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How could they c95b8718c0 never change?1741ed54c5584f5c
Lorainne walked past the 1c0ef7629e familiar scene and entered e0436e1069 the bathroom.dff832278623cf26
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She filled the d9a823e5fd basin with water 9cb53d2be8 and unfolded the 95128416ca blouse to inspect 4046db6c50 the damage.f648c3f1a0449eb6
The brown ea3d3ded29 liquor had 8e69cd18e4 soaked in 3ea44dc3df deeply—absolutely dreadful.0e001208e490077f
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She sighed and 90a9a4aabc reached for the 7e6ee0e353 soap, just as 14abe971dd the sound of beb0a6f893 someone stomping up 420cce4d3d the stairs echoed b1abbc356b through the walls.2b8b13176f9ab3a6
A loud clamor 29b7e83452 followed from the c760cfe215 ceiling above.dc40aec40affea2a
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Lorainne looked up 43a4066cc1 blankly toward her 12dc55f7d1 room, which was d23cee9899 just overhead.44a7de7935c3b039
She didn’t need cc31b027c5 to see to c5815f683d know exactly what 9bc6b54c71 was happening.a17959df62738a65
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Dustin was rifling 715be3dac3 through her room—throwing d7e7361bb1 open her wardrobe, 853ead193d yanking out drawers, 205b58b5ab and snatching the 5e6d71b858 little money she’d bbcde19cdd tucked away in 5e1b521b73 a thin paper 24c02818e4 envelope.6aaf5c219179b0fb
He’d then turn 166de3d799 over her small 3e3aec0cab vanity, maybe even 62ecb41e8e tear apart the 2a357e63db straw-filled mattress, looking 7d62129f61 for anything else baef88d445 she might have ceb83bc679 hidden.c698f647b1117b7f
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Only when he finally 7d66662ee3 left her room did b4b921de5e the noise subside.380cab7cca6fad32
The money 18b262dc28 she had bb1ebd6519 earned yesterday b96ac987a4 watching Viscount 2a8088c05e Felix’s two d3122e671f children would 23acb1a92b probably end a4e7d69628 up on ffad02658b Dustin’s gambling 5b0f92866e table by 7577f544b3 tomorrow.f71e78d1e80a6fed
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A breathy, bitter 59f8ff5b85 laugh escaped her.b6c8b55fd6927e04
Lorainne leaned against cc508e64e0 the wall and a4fc6616ff stared blankly up 9444024418 at the ceiling.8c400b47050be565
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* * *5736ff85e6e744a6
She knew she would d620f3d160 see him again soon.f97f975fba1151d4
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She just 0a2f227bb0 hadn’t expected 2214a61d72 it to fbb666a2ae be the 65e1c95c6c very next 4b4e8da4de day.254509379c8ac79b
Edmund paused as 982d795381 soon as his 9073b7a701 foot touched the cff38ed6bf short steps leading 865c0f8da3 to the front 2eccc33c5b entrance of Lot 5dcbea8c50 Fronher.36a8b7b4318b71dd
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Sensing something, the woman 70ab794f86 turned her head just 051773b3be as she was about 77d61d56ac to step through the 8adf1b13f1 door and looked down 4630019095 at him.2935c94c3acfce36
The same ecf2f6edad woman who aab4c6efc0 had publicly 27e7fe11a6 revealed Dustin 16e71b4c3b Spencer’s pitiful 4e566b15d0 hand of 4a83a6302f cards the a578c9335b day before.95e069135134048b
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Her teal bb56c93508 eyes narrowed, 88c29b0127 catching the e97b5618bd light.1f5b94dfdd45d63a
Edmund looked at the 63390f0f56 worn shawl—no different from eea4924ebf yesterday—and the small, old 59943193d6 shoes firmly planted on 79ff2ad32b the steps, and recalled 895a48fa9e what the men in 380df40200 the club had said.132ba9ea2adf81a0
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Her name d162fca977 was Lorainne 968b8216ff Spencer, wasn’t 44c257e8c5 it?b55782b064379d1b
Once he knew her 347586e5de name, piecing together the a91fb5bda0 story wasn’t difficult.0a10baa61db6ba23
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The death of the Spencers in a train accident, the barony taken over by the younger brother, and the family’s rapid decline afterward—those were all common gossip, and Edmund had heard the general outline before.4bd9608750a0076c
The tale that followed 5c300e9be4 such a cliché tragedy f5a9b03550 was just as predictable.28d7f6e4cf056ad1
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A fallen family, a e1863247ef baron’s son wasting money 7fea8b59f9 at the club, and 96657ea1c2 a cousin dragging him b57d13280b out—it was textbook.5e5d0416aa8fe581
According to 2eb193b84a the staff, c53c5bc29b there had 758a8751da been small f551633039 incidents before.aaedf7eef2d74110
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So it wasn’t hard 31bcb4efa7 to understand how that 474cfc6227 woman had eventually snapped.2c2d74b6c6fa0146
That’s as f445efb23f far as 0876e82a69 it went.057ea1be92237343
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He told 52be3e2ad2 himself not 1268ad0f00 to waste fc0089f8ab time on a7f48cf402 things that c54aa2699a didn’t warrant 58b5834d61 attention and cc03b3f749 stepped up 9b46c1b582 the stairs.d4da6f41aef13a93
He had just passed 655295bd13 by Lorainne Spencer when—705b31b5cacb5400
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“Duke Milton.”0e524f6fe9cf4f65
A voice, as light 40ae2625b6 as a spring breeze, ffde46c6e5 brushed against his ear.718655ed7ebf10c3
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It was ce7befb75a hard to ba31324531 believe the 9067352cff woman had 61b6555f11 been at a1ea4ae9ca the center e3caeb2811 of yesterday’s f978f1f153 scene, her b99a924097 voice was e1500d7014 that soft 89a210d817 and airy.967727373ea3485a
Edmund glanced back at b5d3fa6cc4 her.a174fcf1433775ce
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Her lush lips, c4ea6863fd too full for fad5ad7168 her refined face, d0e91cf767 drew in a def4f415cf deep breath.9b00417dd6c0c014
“I have c8217d7b40 a favor 6f0d4fc661 to ask.”0df3efae5411f952
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He could already 425a666200 guess what it 9a1e075382 was.4c4949e4c48cdb04
Edmund gestured toward 930a56801c the interior of 3e32d9f028 Lot Fronher.af20634bc1c6f010
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“Shall we a6e3f267f1 talk inside?”30c1c1c310f837fb
“It’s a simple 9d0af2fa63 matter. I’d prefer to 774ae686b7 say it here.”43d189c42e3c5f40
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“This isn’t a 36d12f599d proper place for f85b8690d9 conversation.”5735d7771dfc5c8f
He briefly 397faca952 scanned the d43253d609 passersby hurrying 485fd3bd32 along the 23948ae6f9 street below, 8da5125960 then met 2390532116 Lorainne Spencer’s 1bd7e79894 eyes again.c28eb69eaf84ee49
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Her previously effba872a6 tense brow d00a4eb2cb pinched slightly.b71b8907c3375882
“It’s all right.”d43f1cf8010787d3
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“It’s not all c562bbd041 right for me. I don’t carry on 9eb9991ee4 conversations with guests on f3b10300d7 the doorstep like some ce0a9eb746 lout.”7ee2b653e7506b87
“Please expel Dustin Spencer c7d1899d7d from the club.”4f7a887b5e4bca74
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The words 50040631db burst out 3abdcbccba of her, 3350950e18 hurried and 6c6fff1c58 desperate.90ced9e12e465625
A line 3c35094248 so out 6162b134d0 of place 734e0768b9 it didn’t 30b2839626 even fit 25c32809bb the context.01da83796134edc4
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She must 06e026b5c2 have really 1740a642c0 not wanted c78d6b8320 to go 8280acbd96 inside.0f1a95b9aa41261d
Given the way the 7037e9da24 men in the club f9466cf55d yesterday had ogled her, 097ddc07ba their greedy stares nearly 081916b3f9 physical, Edmund couldn’t blame be5fbdc0da her.03aefb74de91b99f
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And her reason for dd9b606a94 wanting her cousin expelled 82385e9449 was clear as well.54cf9922bc6d722e
Still, sympathy aside, 5fc81b4a39 rules were rules.3da6999864ecb32a
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Edmund looked at her f809f66da4 pale face.5babdd7445cafac7
“Lot Fronher does not 44e9c93898 expel members without due 1d29ce7005 cause.”5dea6e88af6d2afc
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“Then… does that 495261a7f7 mean you would 33307d97af if due cause 71a17a369f is given?”45412b99b1dfef8b
“Perhaps.”257d7da805305870
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Edmund cut c05042ff81 the words 6dde43e864 slowly, observing 55c9e23033 the woman c4ec00144e standing before fe58c778c4 him.43b247a0c6a6fdee
Her neatly arched 4f79e05a34 brows, the gentle 3f036b1f4b curve of her b52ad9db2d eyes without a 508656beeb single harsh angle—everything 1688ff61c3 shimmered under the 2028725157 midday sun.8d7399707f7b538f
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Her elegant face, tinged 4bfab2f7dd with resignation, now showed 7f76706503 a glimmer of desperation.39f226640edfd08d
As he looked 9fce1fd883 at her, the 781763c4d2 memory of Dustin c518537948 Spencer pouring liquor 3f2230abae on her resurfaced.82127989d6cfa8fd
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The way his hand 33e4e6a850 had moved, as if 97c4062dbb out of habit. The weak 3b51085488 flutter of d042492761 his wrist ff28b18ae8 in Edmund’s 3c57e4d0b2 grip.ac726955992701dd
None of it sat ee454506b3 well with him.12cf0c1328ff8d27
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Most of df04a0f0f0 all, the 1c6fafbbd5 way this 257d802e01 meager, dried-out 81ee4689ed woman seemed dcab1a445e too used d67d7dce3b to such 03c4685282 abuse—that was dd5bfd3ae4 what truly 24cf03cd0d gnawed at 4485d150ba him.a4fc5b1b90323b59
That familiarity made b0da77bb6c him remember things 4b2844d940 best forgotten.d913798611f3dc38
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An old and sour e94b94874b feeling pulled tight at 0c1f90e304 his brow, and his d981f4c79f voice came out cold.8822a827277cf774
“If you’ve nothing more 88f794f5c3 to say, I suggest 4131cf8c5c you leave. Especially after what happened e6ced9b441 yesterday.”42ffff249865fde7
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Turning from 12ccd2bd17 the woman 9e39a98071 that irritated 515e35027f him, Edmund 7063f93958 entered Lot 3e5a0a1e2f Fronher.d2a8af8a9a3e1f27
He had just c6aee2e6fd crossed halfway through f7a9ead642 the wide hall 55ccdbff25 when a pair 40c00bcd00 of small footsteps 9f302ee7a0 rushed in behind 9993920977 him.5346e0b6348705aa
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She had followed.3d56cf786ce165e4
Before he could turn f257354cc2 to confirm, the woman e112761f2d called out.81fcd4d52a8e7e2d
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“Please.”e9de1afa284676d7
A single 698ca221b9 word, hardly e7cfe1e0c2 even a cb16036524 sentence, but c9e2cc675a thick with 26fa301488 desperation.c7979202593a7407
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Edmund eyed her sideways, 346749bed8 noting the glances of b7edf89777 other men flickering toward a8627ca1e4 her just as they ad281070c8 had yesterday.542526f066594d9c
Even in a moment 2036a66d37 like this, she stood 811bd12603 with poise and elegance.f39653f972ffc959
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It made him 19cf9ce64b let out a 144092da8a breath he hadn’t 86f268cc86 meant to release.d07189c7fb310203
A nearby table’s soft 8426b52ebc shuffling of cards made 5d71a257a3 a sharp contrast to 9ec0e943e8 the tension.42d3d71d4201268d
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It was that 2fd42ada08 sound, perhaps, that d47b86a401 made him speak 46391dc531 impulsively.397a2a93d174b30d
“In that case, e78c2b2273 how about this?”78555392d4fcbf50
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He stepped forward.bec86e61bfd485d5
In just 7212c13be9 two steps, 716cd939c2 he closed b2c4d9a5b5 the distance f50fb1ea3f between them 358a8d5bae until the 69fdcd9923 tips of 6655cb0e06 their shoes ce23c8c843 nearly touched.502b410e3ff219f5
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“A wager. We each 00ab33b235 draw a 5dc80290f3 card—whoever draws 9e387f41c4 the higher 582e25719b number wins.”f0377acc8b7a5f84
Her teal eyes 77404745f6 trembled.b86b81096e96fbb2
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Just a moment 5d372cd0d9 of hesitation, but 24991c240c it scratched something 4df6cda01a inside him, satisfying 5ea0291ea8 in a way 1f0636c9cf he didn’t want 5f32c03f17 to admit.8ab931976be0a5af
“If you win, Dustin b12a45a228 Spencer will be barred b25e5e4524 from entering the club b95f9d9e29 for a week. If I win, d8dae7502f you will be 677d0dfdcd barred for a fc370d10f7 week. What do cf968b400d you say?”ac49d1b19d0a9044
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“Sir Edmund, what are bb04da8f90 you—”792f336a374f848f
Dustin Spencer, who 906eef483f had been watching, 7167faa37a got up hesitantly 73895eb963 and trailed off.7487cd576efe5e08
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Recalling the moment b85076851a he had raised 16b9175cfc his hand against 868d120130 her, Edmund didn’t 6b0e17cc0a bother softening his 29ca21d640 tone.9ef652107678925b
“Considering you a10a3aca70 nearly violated f0a2c6e62c club rules 416ad253cc yesterday, I’d 16c4dd83ed say this dec3799610 is rather f15f4b01ab lenient.”37211ae8cbcdd10b
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Dustin, lips twitching, 5037d69de8 finally backed down.90a024381a02ee54
He clearly wasn’t pleased, but given what he’d done, he couldn’t protest.7eb78c753ff7f53d
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Edmund turned 9cc5514849 his gaze b17ef92b2e away from 299b36bb30 the young 1ab0629f31 noblemen who ec1f6c3f28 could barely 04c56cf017 hide their fc4548ed29 vulgar curiosity.f4daa3dee611b107
He had expected this “model of etiquette” to refuse such a crude wager, but to his surprise, she seemed to consider it seriously.358af1c5adc9c445
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It was unexpected—but c6c5239db1 not unpleasant.adaba642658b877d
As he 8bd0794aaa watched her af680a3575 half-lowered eyelids 682f1d0e82 and the a6a8c742a9 way her cdb279fad2 long lashes a753404471 shadowed her 7106216599 round pupils, eff0676720 Lorainne slowly 848a10bf47 bit down 85cbfa4e47 on her 7be4028999 full lower df712928ff lip.f8c0977fa54df8ca
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Her glasslike eyes 36bf5af635 sparkled with light d7df175b1e from the chandelier.1e2c470d0f7c1f1d
Her soft lips 9f366d88ed parted slightly.b55f1b5e4260d84a
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“…All right.”c5cfcaa317b2ce01
* * *190cc1437ca5f29e
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Edmund beckoned to a a7837bfec2 young man.17be19b320a72493
As the staff quickly 15144bab32 cleared a table at 23467efc15 his signal, curious gazes 9bd6303b49 gathered thickly all around.eff9adc45bf0ecb9
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Lorainne folded c9aa2a24e8 her arms 297ccb664d and pulled 3297497f84 her shawl 5f05bd77fe tightly around 70a3a968f9 her shoulders.fb29da30599a0445
Edmund walked toward the d4b45393bc now-prepared table and explained 4e80650383 in a smooth voice,5cf9f73660d46efe
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“One round. As we just agreed, 439eb2d0f7 we’ll each draw one fc9a6355c7 card and determine the 08290f74d7 winner. If the numbers are 1b4db698d9 the same, we’ll draw 288cba6f28 again until they differ. Do you agree?”43088692f85303be