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Yet inside her head a cold, still voice asked reain now that she kne much her family money meant to Paul? Had he ever loved her? Had it always been her fortune alone that attracted hie solying to her, acting

How had she been so hoodwinked, so blind to how he really felt?

11

Cathy’s alarm didn’t wake her because she was already awake She had slept very little all night and was lying in bed staring bleakly at the light filtering through her curtains when her alarot out of bed, her body heavy and dull, herup This was going to be a day to be endured rather than lived through, but there was no point in hiding in bed, she had to face as co, so she walked like a zombie into the bathroom

As she left her room ten minutes later she had a sudden wild hope that it had all been a bad dreairl in the house, clai to be her sister She stopped to listen at the roo fast, and then shut her eyes with a roan as she heard a movement

After a long breath, she tapped on the door ‘Can I come in?’

There was a pause, as if the girl inside was startled, then Sophie said in a husky voice, ‘Yes Of course,’ then, ‘Good ,’ as Cathy opened the door Sophie was out of bed, standing beside an open wardrobe in the dressing-gown Cathy had lent her She had obviously had a shower Her blonde hair was damp, her feet bare and pink

‘How are you this ?’ Cathy could see she looked ht; she had some colour in her face, anyway ‘Did you sleep well?’ She tried to keep the irony out of her voice but her mind was full of it

‘Yes, thank you, I hope you did’ Sophie sounded like a little girl trying to be grown-up Had she picked up on the real feelings inside Cathy? ‘I was looking foraround the room ‘I can’t find them’

‘Nora has washed them, they were in such a mess, daht – you couldn’t have worn them You’re my size,to wear’

Sophie’s eyes glistened, close to tears ‘You’re very kind I’ you a lot of trouble’

‘Yes, you are,’ Cathy bluntly said, but soer wanted to shout at her, hit at her Sophie looked so helpless; those were real tears, not pretence, and, face to face, Cathy couldn’t help believing that this wo It was bewildering

‘But lending you clothes is not part of the problem,’ she added ‘I have a lot of clothes, and you’re very welcome to borrow some You’d better hurry, we have a breakfast date’

Sophie instantly paled, alarm in her eyes ‘With the senator?’

Cathy hated the fear in her face and felt a wave of anger again She had no cause to look like that As if Papa wouldShe flinched away froht of what he would or wouldn’t do Soht, she couldn’t deny that, she had witnessed it with her own eyes But what had it to do with Papa? It had probably been so accidentally knocked her down the first time, had decided to finish the job to do aith the only witness It couldn’t be anything to do with Papa