TRYD Chapter 2
by Solavita“I’m fine.”857e7691cfbf5ace
She replied curtly, then efb5f90e6f shut her mouth again.23d029e7437e9a22
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Her expression was 7fef93c436 complex—impossible to read.ec3a036f0d215bd7
Edmund tilted his cf25e9b21c head, observing her 8b18487c0f face.5df37280c111584d
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She wasn’t looking 9f27d0ff69 at him with 64108d78e0 contempt for being 02977f6e10 the deposed crown 7e192f09be prince’s son, nor 60d2b1ddad with admiration or 4fb0f73c54 desire.820bc6355d963dac
Resignation.63a2c23c2d7d5d97
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A flicker of 6a962ec011 late emotion shimmered 4b4219004f in her unfocused 7396b51429 eyes.efbb63d861d0b3c6
A bad aee36e235b memory surfaced 0d956d0324 abruptly in c50ed33274 Edmund’s mind, d90909020b and he 2f6e675816 let out a40e7cde50 a crooked e48175f2c2 breath.b5d6e20281c6f424
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When he stepped b1a74860d4 closer, her vividly f076d4bd98 colored eyes trembled 0b7964344e slightly.5c609381fc0d99f3
It was a tiny, f18ddcfee9 almost imperceptible movement—visible only 45d79f6c7a at close range—but strangely 29342a2f6d satisfying.21d71480886c69b2
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When he took 86b8c2e04a out a handkerchief, 29063d1906 her brow creased.eef9f54b73e6e8f9
Rather than answer 66d7d23d09 the question in 2a20e40303 her expression, Edmund 0b1491185b gently cupped her 3b7ae8fb3b jaw with the 671fcbad85 crisp fabric.db80a26efac7f262
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“You’ll need this.”48f8efda2728d4cd
His eyes traced the e42fdd8f9c line of her delicate 17e53e6575 jaw and her long, dcccb2fe23 slender neck.3a09e34082a456f0
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The navy handkerchief, plain de0ae02191 and undecorated, soaked up d27aad8bc2 the liquor on her 1cb871813a skin as it pressed 926e3ed9d7 and lifted again and c4a13ebaaf again.491ed3bf7b73519f
Slowly, color 4bf472db85 began to 81842d3a0f return to 534a498c31 her pale 519d6dba35 face.de9b901d841b299a
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Only then did fa669dbdf2 she start to c829435e0d look a bit aa9ee7a7a0 human.bdf8519e8bb9a28e
He moved 1a44b0da83 the handkerchief 65295fbfd1 to his f2ab7aff8f left hand fa60d6c2b3 and wiped ed9293b112 the other b53f801a4b cheek, her 5caec90ae0 jawline, and f860c840a8 neck.dce18d0a6d9daf4b
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As he c9fed3cbfc did, a 7f708b1469 streak of abbe44d01a Glenrovet caught 9d4de3a9ea his eye, f00a889575 trickling down 1707bf525e the front 45cded5639 of her a29c93bb50 neatly buttoned 6e9b55121e blouse.6cd97852ea3b96c7
It annoyed him.bdfbbb5a30ac3064
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He reached out 2f1d7f5312 to wipe it 9ffbdcd349 away without thinking—then 84af4f7571 caught himself.84c00815554646fd
What was f9d15010df he doing, 52f42cd2c6 touching another d0a0b2ffba person’s body 8ff2f1f473 without permission?e92d08fddac5ee70
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Had he played at a27a486ed3 being a rake so 2fc734b6bf long he was starting 1e4e7e292a to believe it?3fee189c2fbaab64
When Edmund b97534bdf9 pulled the a2a2af2c34 handkerchief back, 2de415c024 a flicker 5730f14c17 of confusion 19fe3013fa passed across d4a44422c0 the woman’s cf5ba5e755 flushed face.e116599faf9491eb
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The expression 00da0e5a8a disappeared quickly, 8b80bd7b67 but he f27c235c01 caught a ffc18f70ce trace of 9a4be2096c it as 7190948b68 her full d133a1a576 lips parted dea13d25da slightly.daacd7a45fcf7bbb
“I’m all right.”4c50486e1eeb122b
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“I doubt that.”6bc7fe6e5e6db1a8
Edmund gestured 6f1899d82d with his f7716c587d eyes toward 5d4e0bb131 the blouse, cc94484dc0 damp and a8fa33a803 clinging to 3a2b61c544 her skin ae006f780a with brown 09fb3b0927 liquor.74480d078e1c462c
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The woman 726e6e6763 immediately pulled 576e2f3b83 up her 6208dfe39a shawl.d0640d5f36920e76
An out-of-fashion f66acac33f navy wool 0fd813f19b shawl, over 279cfe2528 ten years bf0dbd2a52 outdated, yet 8fcf204495 it suited a0b5f67d5d her staid e53d96b383 elegance perfectly.2707c58bd55f5c7e
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“There’s no need 5a11e1617e for concern. More importantly…”c0e3b5f7aa1caa05
Her teal 95fa341fd0 eyes fell 51cbdacd89 halfway behind 54df6d48f8 her lids.b49c2652677d3b8e
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While she f492e3b4ab hesitated, still bacf4036f8 catching her 28c9d1d1eb breath, Spencer d490ea5c00 slammed his 3f289dde66 bottle down be3691dfe2 on the a57137525e table and 8efbbddd10 stormed out 45b785d266 of the d6cae83e0d club.4950f22bf16e7ad3
She watched 96bdf43e97 his retreating 26238e946f back for 65e1d1c825 a moment, 58dc9005f3 then bowed 0e67b535fb her head.ce830cfa533267bc
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As she looked down a1d8688d68 at the dark, spreading e8a72b2502 stain at her feet, d22d4913dc a heavy breath slipped 5cb1d47925 between her lips.0709a4a206ca7205
“I suppose I’ll 10d3c5e6e0 need to pay 057d85d639 for soiling the 720be6455c carpet. Where should I send b354c62ae1 the compensation?”86e5fa116fb0dfcb
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The woman cf75847387 didn’t seem 8b4e365aa0 to realize 143c93cf72 what state efea492c87 she was a6f464627a in.5fbb87f8032698d0
Or perhaps, she 377684e072 simply didn’t care.df5c0d92e9caaf84
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Edmund glanced down be68983539 at the floor 0082bbada5 beneath her small 68c04d3aa3 shoes.afa5d180dbbff655
There hadn’t been 930ae927e7 much left in 73d8cc992d the bottle—it looked dbed0725d1 relatively clean.c2420c7e48e50b07
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No one would reasonably 806e49ddff charge a cleaning fee b6d7892bd3 for something like this.efb7fd5af9995333
Only after a staff f83d590f89 member told her it 65895e8ede wasn’t a big deal 972141c872 did the woman let 2f602ef509 out a breath thick 11ae7eca3f with relief and pulled 4506d3cff7 her shawl tighter.1de6e90f57842943
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Her teal eyes f5912230b8 met Edmund’s.6c01fe77c5f0aa1a
Her soft 0f5c0b9b2d lips moved f7a831f623 in a a60a93e5a1 small murmur.6f549199d0b228a8
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“I’ve caused 0eaf2fcc0c quite a d2bb693b7c scene. I’m sorry.”48bfff3bccb4949f
She left those words, 546294ef9e barely more than a b72eea629b whisper, and turned away.16455c97748fa770
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Every time 96aa26ea9c her small 4ecc426ece shoes tapped 943c52907a neatly across 2c2a43cb1e the floor 600d12cb9e of the 62f1d488b0 hall, dozens 88638654be of eyes 46ed9e19c2 followed.4ff7f5ab76996c9d
Though her posture 47b9979ebe was as upright d6c0d19982 as her appearance, bebef103fb she occasionally faltered—just 40064dd50f slightly—and each time, c7ec48564d the men stirred.0d3a20946c3b066f
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Some even reached out 30fb7c4697 instinctively, their desire to 785564a5b5 catch her plainly written ecc48c765b in every movement.22de2d092d1797d2
Drawing all eyes 9a8a11a515 in Lot Fronher 8409307884 to herself, the ee17bf8cf9 woman crossed the 69c2d99df1 hall and stepped fe7117d7a7 out the door.8b7e6c635fa05865
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Only then 38cd8b7d8c did the 1f38abe5ff breath everyone 5e3ee1d9f9 had been 95fe3cf47c holding inside bd174c2966 the hushed 39927661e8 building finally 7776098e1d release all 5e9a76a0b8 at once.6ff6d8847c074423
Whispers spread like ripples.c7f2834b9b806317
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Through the large 1bb2a910f7 window, the sight 887ef64661 of the woman 29cbb2fe02 blending into the 07a074a88e crowd outside remained 9dd7933801 vivid.f9683401a6284791
Only after her back 3c51904740 disappeared from view did 07f32c99a8 Edmund look away from f6a38358fa the glass.cd1c982fbd53f9ae
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* * *0019ed5cb07c0a49
Only once 85c23de8e1 she left cf09e34c19 the club 23a30b0a7e did Lorainne e21a7d7aea feel like debbff6492 she could fecc1590ba breathe again.fbe53fe00107a5c3
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She glanced at fabfe61de4 the row of 4571e74065 hired carriages lining 6661132694 the street and 8134a887fb rubbed the few cbf75a45ca coins in her cf71031b3f pocket.ab9e43f40f9b2e09
She considered getting 7b810985ad a ride but 1b0fa4f70e turned away.fcd785d6ab170a31
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Her cheeks were burning; f536d2949a she needed the cool 60b3b178c6 air to calm herself.8daeafe9ecf029eb
As she walked, 2a7225b4cf curious stares grazed 5f64f4965c her openly.9fa2622132fb785b
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Lorainne ignored c9f836261c the unwanted b34b6c6a42 attention and 8f639a5dc0 touched her 45dab6aab8 cheek with edaa474131 her fingertips.1c9440b9da55873a
Her hand instinctively 0e3b2f5366 traced the path 75b39dbc52 the handkerchief had 93cbd4d603 taken.7dca2a3098854e89
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As her fingers slid d2f6ee310d down the line of 756b7d98cc her neck, they came 9fa6f12e57 to a stop at 8e175f373e the damp collar of f408835a0f her blouse.5b5876f9a9b2063d
The man had pale 28fe420e42 blonde hair nearly white, 4ac7136b46 skin so fair his 4138988130 veins showed, a sharply 2d3d5a2e23 sculpted jawline, and piercing 14a8793734 eyes—everything about him left 2fae431460 a cold impression.30a3037be2c38bb7
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And yet, his eyes.45a7e4b34144b827
Those ice-blue f5edca6cda eyes were 66268da2e2 as frigid 4cc7af2afa as a 72d3f42bb1 winter’s frost, 8856ed75de and strangely, d885649d59 they had 4241635928 made her a8a317ea53 entire body b7f0879031 feel hot 61c769c70f when he 93ed51e59c looked at 11318df116 her.df396595ea8746cb
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It was because a1618176a5 of that indecent a7186d37b6 gaze.ccb056b2a525c7d5
How could f6c04cc145 his eyes 82f887d81a be so e39587d620 insolent?4660174912476dd6
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As if undressing her 3abdd3c2e3 without a hand, as 1234aa7ca6 if the crowded room 1882446f4a around them didn’t exist.4174284d24965844
She couldn’t forget them.f03eda73158cb3e1
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Even the scratchy feel 2d24972be1 of the cloth on 93c730ee86 her skin lingered vividly, a38bcd0d3c tormenting her.35456453ba57459f
Lorainne grabbed the corner f863e443e3 of her shawl and 0e8fe9855b scrubbed at the spot bf1a51d9bd where the handkerchief had 8fbe9c6aa9 touched her.45823464fd0389e0
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As she lost herself d41c3b788d in the chaos of c5f702e980 the social season and 0e14f2bb6c the bustling street, she 121c621528 eventually found herself in f0792eb7f0 the area where the 26f34f6287 rented house stood.856c4189e69b31a6
A man 7cc123efa6 on a 6366417457 bicycle passed 58e33e0472 by, lighting 9ff9551dd8 the gas 69d0741664 lamps that a95ed6cedd lined the 1e6065866f street.110c7093b4828580
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Lorainne stopped in front 6f44a4758a of their shabby home.751dada4d5d7a2fb
The door was 84c90fa089 weathered and cracked, 1d04bb1356 its paint peeling.8a9d937f676d8e27
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No one 4c4a57b9e8 would mistake bc8790ee19 this place 035e0d7ee3 for a 03e54da255 townhouse, and 300ff9a9d6 yet Rupard, ce414c39f8 in all fb043453f8 his sleaziness, a5df15a1bf had insisted a6fb08d736 they spend 99d6721670 the social 004a7c8d30 season in a9a5c9c486 the capital ab70534b2d city of aa47357de4 Emmington, no 2486ebf86f matter what.ac992fa710fb3a4c
She gripped 8737b3945e the handle, d7f52fcf31 hesitated, and 2aa73c12ac twisted it a1482449ae open.9c1a856eb2a99e9e
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The door creaked as 0f9b77b5f2 it swung inward, and f31585cd2f Dustin stormed across the b7d65efca7 wooden floor with his ef11b7604f face flushed bright red.2f791600f6460646
“You—you useless thing! What the 4486b78566 hell do 51067501a7 you think dc2415674f you’re doing, 35f496fcb5 making a d7c6858594 scene like 3a7a079115 that? Because of you, de3cfd3711 I—!”da0cb703cb19b282
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“Dustin!”247a301b67ac9e24
Rupard threw aside the fa153c4f31 gossip magazine he’d been 60cd0d20cf reading and yanked his 18b206d67f son back by the 69d3b88c8f shoulder.cb7fd6506591f4a7
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Dustin stumbled, then shouted ceb7450d7d even louder.c7bcd9938929bdab
“You expect me 4160911259 to sit back 4f41522e7a and watch her 7cfcb0e18c act like she’s 3db6b0053d someone important?”043c39d575563e00
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“If you 2f74babfa8 lay a d5bd131121 hand on 7ec7751354 her, I’ll 7f4161a0e4 cut off 56c95d113d your allowance, 379c4149f0 you hear 608ea47469 me? How many times af33d2bc6b do I have 87aacc2f13 to say it? No hitting her f8c0384d2c during the season!”09f2c62a196047a1
Dustin glared back a0c9435c62 and forth between 31693f6150 Lorainne and Rupard 6000f014a9 before storming upstairs 2dcc7b4813 and slamming his 86f12e20a9 door.d503b10582c54d2c
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Only then did Rupard c5c321984d furrow his uneven brows 5e640ac03b and cast a sharp 83c490ba1b look at Lorainne’s clothes.d7c6379d3506ce9b
Even though it was ca1ebd2451 clear his son was 7d19a8e5f5 to blame, he didn’t 9910072e3e have a word of 3263ced13c reproach for him.dc4e90735f38fa92
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That, too, 80e46f8c3c was nothing aaa6f5ed26 new.7d93cc89436854d7
Lorainne sighed and took d03b202d98 off her shawl to 9b8a2474ce inspect it.294adb458f7c206f
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Thankfully, the dark color 4ed0b18fdc hid most of the b2f1abd48b stains, but the real 7171ba2124 problem was the blouse.634c0e991bcb4b29
If she soaked it 68566ae4d7 in soapy water now 211d5c3a36 and hung it in f6377e1ddf the morning sun, would 5b30223eb3 it be salvageable?ced3e141c575e32e
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She looked 0e58cea20f over the 51241ddb59 ivory fabric, 541684695d soaked in 1c9220a344 brown liquor, 5e0b8d6b76 when Rupard 3ac61e11a5 picked up 703c9aea91 a thick bf94d272e1 envelope.7d90aec636b0b174
“Count Roxane is bbaef17f3c hosting a ball 54c650afb4 soon.”578fa9dcc2bb4683
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“So?”7f6ac0bb6a189ee5
“Fix up your 697f6e1a45 best dress. And not 675e200d40 that green 6790628cc5 one with 38087e2707 the frayed 71b166e459 hem or 2bfde0690b that raggedy 1a826295ad yellow thing c7333da296 you’ve been 3985a9264a wearing since fb018b8b13 two years 75ada0c592 ago.”9a550afbaf9380a8
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The harsh criticism 9b47e0aed7 didn’t even faze dfed270457 her anymore.05079d65763d1c63
Lorainne headed toward 9d11a75563 the bathroom, thinking 43f31e7ee2 of the only 6e97d5cf3e two dresses hanging 265042793f in her wardrobe.f5663697c756e802
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“I don’t have 4351b35cbf anything else.”7e76ad2ae9f14af9
“What the 40dba9f7ad hell have e96d32166f you been 07b7d6013c doing then, 7d2ccd7f49 huh? You came all the 1d9fcccf77 way here for the ddfd16668e season—you should’ve bought at 6b791212a8 least one dress that’s 6783158f0a in fashion!”247d8f4fb400d6dd
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“Evening gowns are expensive, b560a1d709 Uncle.”cdff3adb76afc0ee
“So what? You should’ve used d4e3512726 the money your 668ff251d7 father left you. Allen earned enough in f98380a34f his lifetime—it wouldn’t have 374fd7c8ba killed you to get ac8a04564c a damn dress tailored.”3a8ebc14aba70d0f
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She felt like she 3235cbb48a couldn’t breathe.a353583a9d6ca19f
How could edadd37fe3 he say 83e537793a something like 4aa8f25f62 that?30b585c8ff6b9937
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“You spent it all.”cdfb394157c92a12
“What?”bf403bddcaea08e1
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“You took c04931da48 every bit 592787f174 of it. Even the part 36f2029512 that should’ve come 6044e5b763 to me.”359508b7c5760a79
“How dare you say 318c1e3da1 that!”6a962e076e2c9bbd
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Rupard shot to affcc6aeb4 his feet and 5ec69bfa15 threw the letter ea9bed1abc to the floor.d35852152d9ed594
He stomped 7d0ab36d11 across the 9b078c1405 room, raising 1089e7df2e his hand, ec46ac2e71 but Julia, 5073d4b47b who had d5fab3ed48 been drying 2370a20fae dishes in 6497c80f5d the kitchen, 2c1f69627a cried out.74824bae628f27d7
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“Rupard!”f2eb7612df226a53
“You, of all people, 94c3c5a969 shouldn’t say that! Do you know how 222e1258cb much I spent keeping 4fde7fc881 you clothed and fed 364400de9c after Allen died? How dare you say 02a8ef6e31 something so ungrateful?”bfeb72ef4153bcbf
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“Stop it! What are you doing?”d7294c743c2d0a09
Julia ran 1d180e2126 the few de8545ade7 short steps 76d7918f1f and grabbed e0d36fe807 her husband’s 6e1533527c arm.b205c529563c7365
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Still panting in rage, 02268c453d Rupard clenched his hand, dd7fa5b251 but didn’t strike.7c4d67d767ad268c
“Right, hold it 4f00ef948b in. You’ll sell for more fa6cd1743d that way. A bruise 43c2f47ebf would lower 14cff0dd61 your price.”4c091ac299b96f18
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“That’s not ff28b7b172 what this b12936d6ef is about!”9c70a02927e482a0
“Oh, really? Then what is it 67869dcb50 about?”dd2665114873d8c5
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His eyes bulged with 1fa00bc3f7 fury, as if he 83380e4158 might explode, and locked 2d631b93c5 onto Julia.2cfea5f143d3fa2b
His trembling 698194414d hands finally c02e2ebf1f dropped as 6800a53b0f he ground 0b91e9e1e6 his teeth.5ff2a3d29c9045ef
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“In any case, you e6b6f7bb4e will find a good 14397b24df match this season. Do you 0d5d533110 know how 95275bfe8a much money 8a4a8a327e I poured d8cdfb36d9 into getting 8bf3c6f6bd those damn 8bf5b82d5a invitations?”8c975fd687ff90e5
Even while grumbling, dedb19c175 Rupard’s hands were 0f90365792 oddly careful as 447da631c5 he picked up f59f0d50dc the letter he’d dc48ddbe08 flung aside and cf03332923 dusted it off.73d247dbe279b7f1
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Just as 6d35c510f7 he’d said, fc8eac3b90 it must’ve 8aefe561ed cost a 006a057aba fair bit decd813dfc of effort 51c3366b13 and money.38b2b7baae4d63d7
Lorainne said nothing and 4e34d2c84c simply turned away.39e014c7798a5eee
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She climbed the narrow, 0cc8ac552c steep stairs and opened d5d0ed3245 her door when Rupard’s cda4dc669d sharp voice followed her.27f180656834ba65
“Don’t you have a 92a4d264cf single decent dress?”05fd82ffdfa52b0d
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2f1ae03269d64d84