Follow a Stranger

Kate went scarlet. “Is it disgusting to dress like other

teenagers, to learn to dance, to enjoy herself?” She found it

hard to find the words to say what she wanted to say, under

the steely and contemptuous gaze of this man.

“You would like me to believe, I suppose, that her money

had nothing to do with it?” he asked coldly.

“Of course it didn’t! I was sorry for her!”

His lips twitched mirthlessly. “Sorry for her? Envied her,

you mean. Let me make some facts clear. Pallas is my ward.

Her money is tied up in a trust. If she married without my

consent she gets not a penny of that money. Do you

understand?”

A tidal wave of rage swept over her as she listened. She

drew a deep breath and launched into a flood of angry words.

“If you are implying that my brother might try to marry

her for her money then let me tell you a few facts about

him—he’s proud, hard-working and kind-hearted, and far too

busy trying to date much sexier girls to be aware of Pallas as

anything other than a kid sister. Like me, he was sorry for

her, as he would be for any girl who wears square, old-

fashioned clothes, has no fun and feels it would be better to

be dead. You’ve stifled Pallas all her life. You buy her safe,

dull, expensive clothes which she hates and which make her

look ridiculous to her own generation. You shut her away in

safe, dull, expensive schools rather than let her find out what

life is really like. I suppose you’ll take her away from

Cheddall now, and put her in another tidy little box where

she’ll die from lack of air.”

Her blue eyes shot flames at him. “Well, Mr. Lillitos, sir,

your money doesn’t interest us.” She curtsied exaggeratedly.