Harlequin Desire March 2021--Box Set 1 of 2 by Joss Wood

Harlequin Desire March 2021--Box Set 1 of 2 by Joss Wood

Author:Joss Wood
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-12-15T00:00:00+00:00


EIGHT

Allegra took the path down the hill to the beach house as the sun finally set and the long, extended twilight settled in. Flicking on her phone light, she negotiated the final set of steps and climbed onto the deck of the beach house, which was located on a steep bank that overlooked the beach. She found the key to the back door, which was concealed beneath a potted plant, and paused for a moment, because it had been so long since she had ventured anywhere near the beach house. Unlocking the door, she stepped into the small hall.

Wrinkling her nose at the stuffy heat, she flicked on a light to relieve the gloom, and left the door open to let fresh air circulate through the house. Sliding her phone into a handy pocket in her dress, she did a quick walk through an equally hot-and-stuffy kitchen, dining and sitting room area, and decided to open a set of French doors to allow the sea breeze to flow through.

For once, she was unable to appreciate the breathtaking view of the ocean stretching to a hazy horizon and, off to the right, the pier, with its dinghy floating off a rope at the end. If it was this stifling downstairs, the attic would be like an oven. Taking a last deep breath of fresh air, she headed upstairs, flicking lights on as she went.

Despite her every effort, her heart sped up as she walked past the master bedroom, with its wrought iron four-poster bed—draped in filmy mosquito netting—dark floorboards and bleached woven rugs. Two years had passed since she’d spent the night with Tobias here. She had expected it to look different but, disorientingly, it all looked exactly the same.

Dragging her gaze from the bed, she flicked on a hall light, dispelling the sense of being caught in the past, and entangled in memories that were still too vivid. However, as she started up the narrow flight of stairs that led up to the attic, the wall sconce made a suspicious buzzing sound, flickered, then died.

She muttered beneath her breath because, when she had switched on that last light, it must have been too much for the antiquated system, and now she had blown a fuse, plunging the entire upstairs into darkness. Reaching into her pocket, she found her phone. Moments later, she activated the flashlight app again and a reassuring beam of white light illuminated the door to the attic.

She had only ever been up here once before, when Esmae had asked her to bring down a box of clothing she had wanted to donate to charity. As she stepped into the dusty, vaulted room, striped with shadows, courtesy of the window shutters, a curious sense of expectation assailed her. Even though she was a Mallory, and knew the basic story of what had gone wrong between Alexandra and Jebediah, actual facts were sketchy. And, while she had seen sepia photos of her grandparents, she had never glimpsed a picture of Alexandra or her husband, James Walter Mallory, who had died before Alexandra had left England.



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