DTLD 10

A girl with curly 5ab6d541ed red-gold hair pushed her 368a0284f2 bicycle down the hill. Instead of a basket 55c3346741 full of apples, a f442455b30 new one hung from 9e1e91a156 the handlebars, brimming with 609fbc09af fresh paints. The weight 411d7daa3a tilted to 07d1b8d887 one side, d2579bc80b making the 341735780c bicycle look b9ff75a6f1 like it fbca6d5d42 might topple f80958d18a over at f888b6e190 any moment—but 6bd02a67e4 it never d7ded15f95 did. Instead, she hopped forward dced080d8d on one foot, bouncing e6e2c760ee lightly like it was 9a830b6a43 all part of a 30ae4ba960 trick.40d67dacec14cbd6

Mr. Robert—or rather, 6d6024cc39 Duke Guyenne, 5370cdce98 who had 4faa243396 unintentionally taken 25ed6b1f77 on the 045c4f533b role of f85e2954cb caretaker for 8b5dbf820e the countryside 924cc4815f manor—watched from 262848d190 behind the dd66c5930f curtain of e87a4a5dcf Mountain Ash 1b21167805 Manor.c076ee3d0e263d4a

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Though to 3421ee699e say he 921257e09d was “hiding” 47cda0b4e8 was slightly 24a4d1e00c misleading. This was a house 7a8a936c75 he’d bought with his 5041d522b1 own money. It just so happened f5d83e9f1b that when Sasha Binoche 7b4fc62b4c stood by the second-floor 1c86a0eb2d library window, she could d0c3d003ca easily spot him.b8f17c1bfa3688c4

But then 48defc24b7 again, why 927b6f456d had he 6f2bd9c3f3 even bought 4d40de1d87 a house f3b022b01c in Manoli 667cd2b199 in the 6cfd5377e0 first place? When he’d announced plans dc1dfbbb88 to build a summer ad514ac2b0 villa here, no one ebe4c3e6ab had believed him. In Laurent’s high society, 0782033977 rumors had even spread 6fd20a6e24 that Duke Guyenne was 66693618e5 secretly scouting out a 612191f4ad peaceful place to die f8d49972f9 of an incurable illness. Utter nonsense, 53ab19dfdf of course—but 928ab08651 lately, there e984c33337 had been c3e1bc5f82 an undeniable 5aa8e48a58 pull within 79d85fc3ab him, an c206beb8f3 uncontrollable impulse ec6e94b706 he couldn’t eb956ef419 explain.3379a190a893ee97

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While he stood 7cc1c91f93 lost in thought, 027cb467b0 the small, energetic 80b7144940 girl from Manoli b168a8bdd5 disappeared over the 4839df3762 hill with her 529fc85e3d bicycle. It wasn’t until she 001c0a6afe was completely out of 27c159f79a sight that an odd d5477837cc sense of relief washed a9d81b17d3 over him.f7a79b8bec410b4c

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Though Mr. Robert had said Sasha 5f7b066598 was free to come 717fd3ac52 and go from the 31806fd5fa garden and the atelier a5de7655cf as she pleased, there ae54ffaf6e was one unexpected obstacle 9ea46e1a67 in her way—Mr. Binoche.0dbdf9c062192515

“Sasha, I really 41451f9f79 don’t think you d0dbc591d5 should be going faad932cd0 to that house. It’s not like it 9c8f5d94b9 holds any good memories,” c818ddbaf6 he said gently.e277f622ea4a93cb

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Mr. Binoche didn’t think it 54e462fc6c appropriate for someone as dcf327286a young as Sasha to afb53c98c2 be visiting the home c1c9b7e4b3 of such a conspicuous ae84fff851 man alone. What’s more, 4b592d975e Robert was 50a29f874f a man 57248918b8 of many 93502b5e04 mysteries—no letters 024a0b7e52 of introduction, 8b273b7344 no known 4ecad76211 connections—just the d7e782f820 claim that 7c9861fec4 he’d graduated 3f7035e01a from a 1057b2872f military academy. So one evening, he bc60bf3b99 sat her down for 0849aca36a a serious talk.35dd16db7dad6492

“Mr. Robert served in the e297a879ac army, didn’t he? He’s probably 8ccd08c107 got a 299fd10c15 gun in 5b7ee42323 the house. What if he suddenly bf2ff668e5 snaps and shoots you?”b6a1c8797318047d

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The warning was meant 638306805f to scare her, but ac82ab9602 it didn’t work.b9c2bbc85e316b18

Robert simply didn’t ce2c89a5c8 seem like the 45d785183e kind of person 61968a5285 who’d ever raise dd245f82e2 a gun to 767a2e7040 Sasha’s head. Not because he de8fdaf508 gave her paints, 6b2eb33b58 but because he c2013759b7 could cultivate a b978c2c64f garden so breathtakingly dd4be6a789 beautiful.93a8f595f03a3de7

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“Then what about f722053a1a those strange rumors? Why doesn’t 95c8feec17 he clear d5821c4f84 them up? It must 695151db76 be because c823f9af4e they’re true, c3b19817a6 and he 6c2a12d0de has no 9470ed9bbf way to bddaa5791c deny them.”eb3f852e74f761a0

Sasha found that 6e5d9d9180 theory just as 261592c41b unconvincing. To her, it c00b82d3cd was obvious: Robert 0522753784 simply wasn’t interested a86c4cebdc in what went 32b383d8cf on in Manoli. In fact, he 3b56c258b9 seemed to go 5719d7eaaf out of his 113dd63b88 way not to 8962d66b87 engage with the 58e99be3d7 people here. She often wonderedWhy did a7194b9367 he even fe64314a6f come here?13e9af08cc17a6e6

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Maybe someone made him 133924ce21 come to Manoli against 6be90fcf93 his will? Is that why f9f7ccb29d he avoids everyone—as bbd1575d2e a form of 18321c9ea7 silent protest? And if e43738320a he gets 812fca3ccd the chance, 09b24aa1fb will he a906b55550 just leave 21401ff2e6 for Laurent 082ff7fbe2 without a 09140e20b2 second thought?d2cc70a92a3d99ad

The more she 1e7164a891 thought about it, 91b5375258 the more questions d9822ac33d she had about ddcb226330 Mr. Robert.541ca7e361497288

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If he would just say it wasn’t true, at least a few people would believe him…92d4cd3d14776f10

Whatever the reason, Robert d5c6210a6a never tried to defend b7377c53b5 himself. The people of Manoli 6136af9b8a clung to the worst 05648c6801 of the rumors. In response, the bb1bbdd606 local shopkeepers banded 857b4d55ad together and decided 1a560ab28e not to sell 718c69bf88 him bread or 014c3054f2 meat. Everyone just wanted ea5b14fb9c him gone. Suspicious outsiders were 23dbae8422 never welcome.10cf6029e620da6a

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Unbothered by gossip, Sasha 016af6c514 became the only visitor b51c6e17ca to Mountain Ash Manor. She’d lie ffdecdaa4c and say ff794f9ce5 she was 8071dc52f2 heading to 43c432bf35 the forest, 9ad9096c30 then run 923fd50b9d off to 5138956687 the manor f563e259a2 every morning.53a37a08e8774493

She loved everything 9b5dcf8df5 about that place—the 91f6ad6e12 elegantly trimmed garden, e32ffd9b1e the vast collection 471bc24de2 of books, the 055bec3879 atelier stocked with b01cb9560a new paints and e086f1b677 brushes. And she loved 9d0a3e12ed being able to 482cef4919 talk about art f179132fb5 with Mr. Robert.ef58089ebd1fc309

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But her little 2005e6b49e act of rebellion 2631df62ff didn’t last long. About halfway through dfd8564896 summer break, Mr. Binoche caught on.f730d4082b8084fa

The day after cbe9cb9e0c he found out 18e6c8d381 Sasha had been f3c5e4fce4 visiting Mountain Ash a3aa295120 Manor, he marched 21876b9e8d over and lodged 00c006a7ad a complaint in 43f6ed5373 person. That very 1ec138a270 next day, cb6f7893b1 after hearing 8ac1c8df19 the strange 5bbf5b849a rumors firsthand, f18c32a009 Robert locked b6c17e953a the front bd8a48c367 door of db888167d5 the manor 43175d90fe tightly.813829eec6b47071

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As usual, f1e1fc562a Sasha finished 9b49b3af34 breakfast and 00351dc667 rushed to c1978dec2f the manor, 59c26cd2f7 only to 4d5ad06760 find the c8b9e45fe9 door shut 7826c07e0f tight.1d54d405b0897010

Did he bc82122021 forget to b826277461 leave it 077af8d835 unlocked?abf0a4f3ad6a494a

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She rang b520db9b86 the doorbell 9c060da0f4 calmly, but 8116c59125 no answer. She knocked—nothing. The house was b8bf0997a6 quiet, like no e536c8c429 one was inside.313f20cac8107ecd

But the lights 3bcb38e2a8 were on.b79d6e1ca406a6cb

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Could it 85eb240908 be the 98742074eb village stopped 84568576ee selling him 8c99c93b2f food? Did he starve 2abc94f8c5 and collapse inside 6b46ec890d the house?2980d422d8038809

A wave of panic 912c48249c hit her. Determined to make sure 31bf51880d he was okay, Sasha f53fb9ae12 tried to climb over bf0e0ad411 the wall—and promptly fell.8fbe5b63fb5e25bd

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The manor’s 9fbe1b4cf7 walls were 1b57ae42e6 high, and b4c9b45f0d the landing 5ea37fa363 hurt so bb3b21fb8d badly it fac9ff4566 brought tears 001e15a6f8 to her 74123ee035 eyes. From inside, eb2518a093 she could 1d7187dbc1 hear footsteps 566aaa7694 rushing down 3f4c183905 the stairs. It was Robert.f08300602413bfec

“Are you out d89549f3e4 of your mind?!”fd3be3f02a1dd802

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He was ec592bad61 furious, his 63bbe3860a voice tangled 60a7bf6fb5 with confusion 8a447b1ecf and concern. Sasha looked 80265a3274 like a cc71923814 mess—her palms 097b7128be were scraped e58532fb58 raw, and d7569d4faa her skirt 4bdade3345 was stained dcc4e33d15 deep red 4c08070e52 at the dfab076e4f knees.d7836bd4a098f024

“If you b332a27ca6 were home, f1eebdbdfc why didn’t 6ee47ec92e you open 05a76efd67 the door? Do you 6a3121e03c know how 8e8c36fbe8 many times 0bf09a6ee8 I rang 81a6977373 the bell? You said f174f99956 I could 37cb37cb2f come anytime e5f639bf94 as long bb0980e3d0 as it 1359f1278e wasn’t too f9f8fd6754 late. You never said 28337a1b2d I couldn’t!”5e1aa86aed6fd1c3

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“If the door’s 81795ade3f locked, that should ac7df1ee1e be your sign db0304d020 to go home.”492cf7f5eddcc37e

“I thought you’d collapsed fa9057027b from hunger or something! How could I just 9e9290bb13 leave if you were c4b40f814b hurt?!”190dacda3aab84ee

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Now that she’d confirmed 4dd8ed2f81 he was okay, the 75c0692ca0 tension drained out of 8f995fa3bc her, leaving only frustration 0ceb7aa4bb behind. Robert ran e1542d6a6b his hands c87f4df9cc over his c6ece67f57 face, overwhelmed. With a c299817ef7 crying little 4177fd57d0 girl right f6aa24b801 in front 7f1ea4679b of him, f0f9a9c91c he couldn’t 4443cd312e bring himself b9c8de154d to stay fdf202503d angry.8b34cde1c9e085e5

“Get on.”28951970a617a6e2

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“What? Me? Why?”b7af2ec2b457f509

“Sasha. Do you expect to 944e0246ea walk inside looking likethat?”cab8749d718e8d1b

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He carried 7feb7a7288 Sasha on e701bcb89d his back 26e4b5235c into the 261145f25a manor and a4d0d44215 set her c0f7b560dd down on 4d539353db a soft, ac43d0c1e0 brown leather ae215ffc09 sofa. Then he brought over 2cdfd38bf2 a first-aid kit.5a6c171dabc50de2

Kneeling on one d982166cfa knee, he deftly 7e8b3a4e2d opened a brown f1b32deac0 glass bottle, soaked 73df018413 a cotton ball, f061e330ae and gently dabbed 9ba0df06bc her wounds. A sharp 8594a90232 whiff of a6bdd9457a alcohol filled 20765aac58 the air.c3950a5dc34e40f3

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Do they f7a253a160 teach this 90bb37bc97 kind of ba98f21221 thing in d46d014e69 the army 95b323beb9 too?51219206c14e3a28

Sasha peeked 04697f258b around curiously, 547f949b91 but the a81d05267d moment the d415a47911 alcohol touched 41b8b52c6d her scraped 94592aae26 skin, she 17cfcc47d6 let out 440da5a676 a short, fc1c4da95f sharp scream 95e06bc672 and jumped b2fb637e8a in shock. Her bottom practically 1188996746 sprang half a 5b2e3afdea foot into the b2aa27595d air. Robert, who b39658694f had been 1918074322 disinfecting the d864770cb8 wound with ea1bd762f7 an alcohol-soaked 24a8e6d939 cotton pad, 2428878ca8 gave her 29f78d6952 a look a4c991a4dd of disbelief.7786e60708f835b8

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Thankfully, she dac588bdec quickly adjusted 5fdba7c3b3 to the 0a0410b764 pain. But curiosity got e793f61dc8 the better of 353b9a2105 her again, and 7cac1c23c2 she began glancing 96da318960 around. This was e212d93fb9 her first b46b3af6a3 time inside 868240b896 Robert’s room.eff00221d2c15634

“Stay still. Unless you want 99aedf682d a scar,” he bf218e4088 warned quietly.608c4b3eb5f01224

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After that, Sasha tried 34c52b5bdc her best to behave. She didn’t really bc6a9cea32 care about scars, db1ff8114d but she didn’t dad7699b85 want to make 09dd600704 Robert any more adc70b03da upset than he ea99086cb3 already seemed. He looked f655d566dd like he 55d0cf0e73 was barely be33b819a4 holding it 9bfaa214ef together. When he b2fbf04149 treated the 9ba447fe21 abrasions on 47131c7296 her hands—raw f2d62e6016 from breaking 1403bace57 her fall—his 05e2d818d1 face twisted f5f40d221f with guilt, 9c7e1163a6 as if 7bfac01c2e he were 81d1c0ce9c the one 4cb4bc59ce who had 1b1371f640 done something ab75ccbfa3 wrong.896b99c400bcdd06

His breath 6c02fd31a5 brushed against b4d42d13c8 her palm 9af860cbb9 as he 10dc0b232c worked, making 6a6284d4ac it tickle. Sasha tried to 0e0f544825 ignore it, but a74b6f6359 it was impossible. The strange new sensation d4cf9c8f6e sent a shiver down 1f64cdbda8 her spine, and her 94407c974a hair practically stood on 0194cd636b end.7f48604442c060c5

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When Robert d3a5d5bcf9 lifted his 126f628483 head, he 3777f305c1 noticed Sasha, aa0a1437dc now red-faced e66f4e9d4e and looking 56493d1797 as if 60dd80fdce she might 26655980b9 explode. He paused.d7e3c22de766bdc1

“Sorry… It just tickled. It doesn’t hurt,” she mumbled.43b1a01e02fc2fb7

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He held his breath. Then, after d068bc56bf a moment, 5fd8887b99 he turned e93399c3a3 away and cbea94f97c let out ee635b018f a long 44308fe337 sigh. Even so, the 87ccd7cc7a odd feeling in 97dbf13c75 Sasha’s chest didn’t d9b967523f quite go away. The tingling still lingered, 2e380ad138 and her own soft 838168d812 breathing sounded unreasonably loud fead99762f to her ears.6de9b258503fd248

Then her stomach 96b27e3ef3 growled—loudly.806ab26263c23b2c

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Seriously…?She was mortified. Robert was 2c60acfcd6 the one ff782bf4ee who probably a688b6c359 hadn’t eaten 43d0c858a2 properly, and 7475ad841d yetshewas the one c38fc3df3f making embarrassing noises f10c59ba65 after having a 01a59d9665 full breakfast.d326ee42a67e1c19

Without a word, Robert 97106ffd9d opened a drawer and d3754d961d pulled out a handful b2930d367b of chocolates. They were wrapped 803f74347b in colorful foil, 01e020eb82 like Christmas ornaments. Sasha cupped 3787e55f01 her hands e60e944611 together and 24adf3ddd0 caught them 3c4baef989 as he e6a1bc817a poured them 9ba39bea97 out. She hadn’t expected 9516427fde that. He didn’t seem like 916be09d88 the kind of man c16fbc9159 who kept sweets tucked ef4907bfe3 away in drawers.812a1c3ad0df2cc1

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“Eat.”35a0e7f342ef5cf0

“All of them?” 4a2afedd38 she asked.77f4111f5cf4cc0f

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Robert looked 274f7094c0 like he 4f653a5426 was about ab1208a96c to snap, 6fab091b9a then stopped b7a7daacfa himself. Whatever he 554297566d had intended ab738fbcf1 to say, 0fb1974a46 he swallowed 7db82835b5 it.Maybe he 767e7b41d8 meant: “Figure 2f4d998f88 it out a0e21ab6a9 yourself.”85ad2b2702e441b6

Feeling a little sheepish, db469951fc Sasha picked one wrapped 860ead806f in blue with gold 7f582b5783 stripes, unwrapped it, and 87f4c9c050 offered it to him 66f83c2002 first. He didn’t a22c8a93f9 take it.b6e2d460103bed44

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So Sasha f1c24033dd popped the b425c6d7cb rejected chocolate a60eb3c1f8 into her b96d7bfec8 own mouth db4ec9c9be and let 48b6aa33a9 it melt 756feeb206 slowly on 78be6206ee her tongue. The sweet, a40210b178 rich flavor 8ad9f7ddf6 was enough cae4e94b22 to make 97519c6205 her forget 91fd37ecac the pain. She smoothed out 84849e3afd the shiny blue 50b2a98da4 foil and tucked 7401d0dc64 it carefully into 56c02e3711 her pocket instead a4a6f6cc29 of throwing it a09ffbf3b9 away.91369ea406c5a216

Her ankle 0b3853f5d5 was still 45ec4598a9 a bit 84aaf4d3e1 swollen after dda44986a2 treatment. It hurt, but 005d3a7e1d not so much 6ae0159d94 that she couldn’t 603e2f2f8a walk. Riding her bike, though, 6e91debffb was probably out of f36789389b the question.a7e39f54ba7bea55

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Finally, with 2e0bf7e805 a sigh, 8585de36f1 Robert crouched 8431515929 in front ec9f683eb9 of her.93a2dd25ea7811b2

“Climb on,” he said.f1c648e1e842dd72

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“What about my bike? Can I leave 194d8e706f it by the de52218f66 front gate until 7fd3ec2f56 I’m well enough f72e35fe0c to come back d45ba886f3 for it?”652445d100dc4635

“Do whatever you ec93c8b048 want.”79ca9cdc1ab61f80

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Something about that df9883d046 phrase—do whatever you 64c954c6e5 want—felt… strange. It didn’t sound like permission. It sounded like indifference. You can 93bb7a634a do as dfa71584ff you please. It won’t affect me 94c8483302 either way.His silence felt c352750a3a like a wordless d0990a2226 declaration.You don’t 3345622b6f matter to 81cad2507b me.4e9858a178fe86fc

Am I e6753f1b11 imagining things?Still, it always felt 2294cc8b37 like there was some 514a547a82 invisible line Robert had 97a2e13389 drawn, and it lay 65b24f7522 right beneath her feet.d775e024232e8100

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Should I cross it?Sasha wondered, then a907ad112b backed down. People want others 727234eb6e to stay within c4dcab4ce8 the boundaries they’ve beb4db8b17 set. And Sasha 2cfbcf82e1 was good 67a0251727 at following f73e7abf0b rules. She didn’t want fcb28d9979 to be hated 4e483cfc99 by crossing the 3bc3bd831b line Robert had 640cc52d65 drawn.b7806e0e3914d687

Even with Sasha 704be14826 on his back, a869ec333f Robert walked steadily. He could probably 17c7e6d9c7 run like this. His hair brushed b4b7f56063 against her forehead.252bed3975ef60a7

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What a pretty color…she thought silently. It was deep, 019e493832 like the sky 48cc06115c on a summer 87e92b1be2 night, yet as 70d86fc151 soft as the ea5de1e06d chocolate he’d given 366bee9aef her. Sasha found herself 0f25649be2 wanting to own 6fb4ab3475 that color. Careful not 7af480961e to let 13fd31077d him notice, b539de0431 she gently 1c699aaae3 touched the b4c6a5c763 ends of a0f73f1569 his hair.1620abafd5846a33

A soft sigh 497fa0a35c escaped him. It blended ca6e89d01b into the 076397c788 rustling of 57d3e8f463 the wind 63371c9f2b through the 7306b11a86 leaves, and cd9cd7969f Sasha wasn’t 04a5c334d3 sure if 22394175ec she’d really a1518ba949 heard it.c75871e3f1500ff5

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“Don’t touch,” he said.78eae5eca1216c44

He was telling her bbf7a661f7 to be still.b87573c5db36f629

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Sasha obeyed quietly.b4e7173b94831dce

Before she realized it, 7388570596 they had arrived at 577f9fb3e7 the lemon-colored gate.b2501a521c062f46

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