Follow a Stranger

Jean-Paul leaned over and asked Kate to dance. She

smiled and stood up, going into his arms. She caught the

exchange of looks between Pallas and Sam, her brother’s

raised eyebrows and grin. But Pallas was not looking as

triumphant as she ought to do if she was really

indifferent to Jean-Paul. She was, interestingly,

frowning.

Jean-Paul looked down at Kate. “How am I doing?” he

asked, with a mischievous grin.

“Is this part of your plan?” she asked, laughing. “To

use me as a tease for Pallas?”

“You object?” he asked anxiously. “Your fiancé will

mind, perhaps?”

“No,” she said quickly, smiling, “he won’t mind. And

neither do I. It’s in a good cause.”

Jean-Paul looked relieved, and pulled her closer,

bending his head to whisper in her ear, “You are a most

unusual girl, Kate.”

She smiled, then met Marc’s glance over Jean-Paul’s

shoulder. Marc was not smiling. He was looking savagely

angry again, the arrogant features dark and saturnine,

the grey eyes biting.

Kate looked away. He was angry with her, of course,

for flirting with his sister’s promised husband. He

probably thought her contemptible for attempting to

steal Pallas’s lover. She felt chilled, but tilted her chin

defiantly. Let him think what he liked. She and Jean-

Paul were going to set Pallas free to choose for herself.

Later, Jean-Paul spoke discreetly to Marc, who looked

a little surprised, but gestured politely towards the part