o Beatrice and Julian, his face a mask of p

." He turned on his heel a

d Iris, the girl reached out a hand, her voic

d past as if Iris were invisible. Iris's f

o, fresh tears welling

ire family's dysfunctional dance. His blue eyes were deep

shed floors reflecting their distorted figures. He s

door. A pink ribbon was tied to the handle. It

shed the

lls, and cloying floral scents. It wa

a note of vindictive pleasure in his voice. "You'll b

had been scrubbed clean of her e

expected nothing from thi

he said calmly, a

young maid who was hovering nervously nearb

d. She gave Eleanor a

saw the darting eyes, the way she coul

slow, del

to Julian. "I wish

in this entire family who had ever

is not well. She doesn't need you upsetting h

t, all in one. He was using the one

f something moved in Eleanor's

ects," she said, her voice

't think I don't know what you're planning! You want

r her arm. She sidestepped him

. Enraged and embarrass

tumbled backward, crashing into a decorative console table by the

tairs, saw the whole thing. "Julian

nd, but his bravado returned insta

't look at any of them. Her gaze was fixed on her

help her, but stopped dead when E