Dark Enchantment by Helen Bianchin

Author:Helen Bianchin [Bianchin, Helen]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
ISBN: 9780373109753
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1986-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

'Really, darling, we must have a party to celebrate your engagement.'

The circus had already begun, Kris decided wryly. Wo, Angela. The announcement has been made, the engagement itself is a fait accompli, and I'd far prefer to let the entire thing rest in peace.'

They were sharing breakfast on the terrace, and at this relatively early hour the air retained a tranquil hush that was infinitely soothing. Visually pleasant were a number of white-painted urns placed with symmetrical precision along the balustraded edge, flower-filled and providing a vivid splash of colour beneath the dappled sunlight.

'I'll talk to Jared,' declared Angela, looking mildly reproving, and Kris discarded her toast and settled for coffee.

'Do that.'

'Is it necessary to be quite so—terse?'

Oh dear, Angela had never been her closest friend, but neither had she been an enemy. 'Forgive me,' she said solemnly. 'So much has happened in such a short time I've hardly been able to keep abreast of it all.'

Angela reached for the coffee pot and topped up her cup, then she cradled it between both hands and met Kris's steady gaze across the table.

'You're resentful.'

Kris deliberated carefully, then offered with more than a trace of cynicism, 'Resigned, I think, is a far more accurate description.'

'I've endeavoured to provide you with a stable background over the past ten years.' Angela's eyes were remarkably direct. 'I haven't lacked for admirers, and there have been several proposals of marriage.'

That was true enough, Kris reflected silently. Why, there had been a time during her mid-teens when she had agonised that Angela might be intent on snaring Jared for herself. She could remember that particular summer vacation as clearly as if it was yesterday, feel a resurgence of the terrible injustice of it all, the impotent rage. It had coloured her thinking, affected her manner, and totally ruined her studies for much of the ensuing year. Letters from home had been horribly uninformative, and she'd been extremely polite during breaks between each semester, incredibly relieved to discover Jared purportedly pursuing a number of nubile young lovelies the following summer and since, showing no apparent inclination to settle for any one.

Perhaps there was an element of compassion in Angela's calculations, but it seemed a little too coincidental that she'd waited until now to choose to remarry.

A timely interruption by Suzy with yet another caller requiring Angela on the telephone precluded Kris from having to pursue the conversation, and her request for the use of the car and Angela's sanction was a mere formality.

Kris escaped to her room to change, choosing something light and cool to wear, then she tended to her make-up, collected a bag and headed towards the garage.

Negotiating the city traffic required all her attention, and she seriously doubted one driver's intention to stay with this world after a particularly hair-raising near-collision at a major intersection.

The heat was oppressive with not even the slightest breeze to ease the sun's relentless heat, and it was a considerable relief to complete her shopping and return home.

There were several

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.