give us all a bright smile.

"I just love parties, I always have, I always will.

Makes the heart beat faster. Makes old bones feel

young again. I can tell it's going to be a jolly smashing

one tonight."

Two or three times Trevor said that--with less

conviction each time, as still not one pair of those

headlights climbed high enough to reach our drive. No

one rang our bell, banged our door knocker.

The musicians were in position under the

rotunda, on a dais that had been constructed especially

for them, centered directly between the curving dual

stairways. They tuned their instruments over and over

again as my feet in their high-heeled fancy slippers

began to ache. I sat again on an elegant chair and

wiggled my shoes off under the folds of my gown,

which was growing heavier and more uncomfortable

by the minute. Eventually Chris sat beside me, and

Bart took the righthand chair, all of us very silent,

almost holding our breaths. Jory had his own special

chair that could buzz him around tirelessly. From

window to window he drove, looking out and

reporting.

I knew that Cindy was upstairs, all dressed and

ready, waiting to be "fashionably" late and impress

everyone when finally she drifted down the stairs. She

had to be growing very impatient.

"They must be coming soon--" Jory said when

the hour reached ten-thirty. "There's lots of banked

snow on the side roads to confuse them . . ." Bart's lips were tight and grim, his eyes stony

Tags: V.C. Andrews Dollanganger Horror
Source: readsnovelonline.net