Love In The Shadow Of Gilded Chains
ed taller than
arly morning sun, casting long, elegant shadows on the pebbled driveway. She had seen them a hundred times in passing, in pictures her mother had sec
t... her m
imply stayin
id when she convinced Mr. Devereux to let Claire stay in the maid's quarters over the holiday. It wasn't unusual for sta
ed with a slow, graceful creak. The driver-an older man named Gabriel greeted her politely and led her throu
es, a grand fountain that shimmered in the center of the roundabout driveway. Birds
ntrance, apron already tied, her expre
pered, pulling Claire i
d a smile. "It's... b
off Claire's shoulder. "You're only here a few weeks. Just lay l
*. She wasn't here to cause trouble. She just needed peace. Time away from school noise,
smelled like fresh lemon polish and expensive wood. Every step Cl
wing-modest bed, a wooden desk, a window with a vi
tyard, legs curled beneath her, sketchpad in hand. She was scrib
supposed t
essed in joggers and a fitted black tee. His dark curls were sl
linked.
said it more like a cha
lowly. "I'm Cl
in, eyes narrowing as if trying to measure her.
refully. "Just staying for a shor
icked to the sketchpad, then back to her.
he'd come, he turned. "Ju
ed through t
ath she didn't reali
name yet. But she al
n't li
t understand... that stun
er mother had warned her-Adrian Devereux wasn't known for his warmth. She had never spoken ill of the family, but Claire could read betw
y he looked at her-guarded bu
stood, stirring something fragrant. The ro
" her mom asked w
"Yeah. Dark curl
's Adrian. Second so
arby stool. "He told me
t made for people like us to be comfortable, Claire. Just keep
o cause problems. But she wasn't
ury swirl around her like a world she didn't belong to. A sleek black car pulled up to the front st
er, her apron wrink
're h
hem?" Cla
eux and Adrian. The first
her lip. "What
rning look. "Best you do
. The room was quiet. But the air in the mansion felt...
r pencil danced lightly, shaping the stern angle of a jawlin
and erased
hen-large, gleaming, and five times the size of any she'd ever