Surprised, he looked up at her.
‘Thank you,’ he said simply. ‘You are beautiful.’
‘I’m a mess.’ Allie sat down on his bed, wondering with only mild interest what she would say next.
When she glanced up, he was holding a towel out for her. She looked at it blankly.
‘For your hair,’ he explained.
But the stress had taken its toll and, when he handed it to her, she just held it loosely in one hand, thinking about Christopher and Carter and Gabe …
And … Shut up brain! Please God, let my brain just shut up.
When she didn’t move, Sylvain lowered himself on to the bed next to her and began drying her hair with gentle hands. ‘I read somewhere,’ he said, ‘that when you are cold you lose most of the heat from your head. So even if the rest of you is perfectly warm, you can still feel freezing if your head is cold. I think that is very strange, don’t you?’
His hands felt cold when they touched her neck, and she shivered.
‘What happened, Allie?’ he asked. ‘Why did you run away like that?’
She closed her eyes. ‘I get these panic attack things. I can’t breathe.’ She gestured vaguely. ‘Claustrophobic. But …’ she opened her eyes again ‘… you mustn’t tell.’
His hands quit moving. ‘Tell what? Tell someone about your panic attack? Of course not.’
‘No. Sylvain,’ she said with such passion it startled them both, ‘please don’t tell Isabelle about Christopher’s letter.’
Dropping the towel, he moved until he could see her face. ‘I have promised. And I won’t. But now you must promise me that you won’t go off to meet Christopher by yourself.’
‘I have to see him.’ She held his gaze. ‘I have to know what happened. He’s the only one who can tell me. Sylvain, he’s my brother.’
He held up his hands. ‘Then take Carter with you. And Lucas. And Jules.’
She shook her head. ‘If I tell Carter he’ll go straight to Isabelle. He won’t listen to me.’ Only when she said those words did she fully understand why she hadn’t told Carter about the letter. She didn’t trust him. And he didn’t trust her.
‘Because he’ll want to protect you,’ Sylvain said. ‘It is the right thing to do.’
‘I can protect myself,’ she said.
His reply was chilling and instant. ‘Not from Nathaniel you can’t. Not from Gabe.’
‘I have to go, Sylvain.’ She leaned towards him intently. ‘I have to.’
Their eyes locked – his clear blue eyes sparkled in the lamplight.
‘What are you asking me, Allie?’ His voice was low.
‘Will you go with me?’ She held her breath.
For a long moment he studied her face. Then he sighed. ‘I think this is a very bad idea,’ he said. ‘But I won’t let you go alone.’
EIGHTEEN
Now all she had to do was get through Friday. That morning, she explained away her disappearance the night before with an imaginary illness. Nobody doubted her. Rachel plied her with herbal tea while Carter checked her forehead for signs of fever and asked if she’d seen the nurse.
Her whole day was one lie after another. And it was easy.
I’m a natural, she thought bitterly on her way to the dining hall for dinner. It must be in my blood.
She glanced at her watch. Five minutes to seven.
Five hours until she’d talk to Christopher again for the first time in nearly two years. Five hours until she’d learn the truth.
Nervousness sped her heart rate, and she took calming breaths before walking into the busy dining room. Sliding into her normal seat next to Carter, she smiled at the group already assembled at their usual table.
Rachel mouthed, You OK? at her from her seat next to Lucas. Allie nodded and smiled to show she was fine. Carter draped his arm loosely across her shoulders and pressed his lips lightly to her temple.
Guilt stabbed like a needle prick, and she smiled broadly to push it back.
I’m going to do something, Carter, she thought, watching him chat with Lucas. I hope you’ll forgive me. And, horribly, I don’t think you will.
Zoe had taken to sitting with them lately and she was chatting earnestly to Jo about a complex chemistry problem she was working on with her tutor. Jo looked baffled but was nodding politely.
On the next table, Sylvain sat next to Nicole with a group of international students. They appeared to be deep in conversation but, as if he sensed her gaze, he looked up. When their eyes met, she could feel the connection their secrets had made between them.
‘So.’ Jo interrupted her thoughts by tapping her spoon against a glass until everyone at the table was looking at her and laughing. ‘I’ve decided it’s time.’
‘Time?’ Rachel said doubtfully.
‘Uh-oh,’ Lucas muttered. ‘I think I know what’s coming.’
‘Time for what?’ Zoe asked, cocking her head to one side.
‘Time to start talking about the ball.’
The chorus of derision was instantaneous.
‘I knew it,’ Lucas said, dropping his head back against the top of his chair.
‘It’s a month away, Jo,’ Carter pointed out. ‘And all we have to do is get dressed.’
‘Don’t be absurd, Carter.’ Jo dismissed him with a wave. ‘It’s much more than that.’
‘Isn’t it just like the summer ball?’ Allie asked.