CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY SIX – DEAL WITH THE DEVIL

Poison her, right here in the heart of this glittering gala amongst all the pretentious pomp and finery. The realization struck her like a physical blow, the breath catching in her throat as the ballroom seemed to spin around her. Bianca was still chattering away, the casual gaiety of her demeanor the only anchor grounding Charlotte in that dizzying instant. Fighting back a wave of nausea, she turned to find Julian watching her with a masked expression that nonetheless spoke volumes. He knew. Of course he knew - nothing escaped his astute senses, least of all a brush with their shared mortality as brazen as this. His hand found hers beneath the tablecloth once more, his fingers entwining with hers in a grip of reassuring strength even as his features remained an inscrutable mask. The rest of the evening passed in a blur for Charlotte, a hazy succession of forced smiles and hollow pleasantries as the threat they'd so narrowly eluded cast an inescapable pall over the proceedings. Juli