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hurting me … you’ve touched parts of me that no one has.’
    Marc turns away from me. ‘I’ll leave you to get dressed. And to make your call. Your phone is on the dressing table.’ He heads to the door. ‘Call me when you get to the theatre, so I know you’re safe.’
    ‘Marc,’ I say , knowing my voice sounds fragile and tearful. ‘Please. What’s happening?’
    Marc turns back to me, and I see his beautiful profile. God he’s so handsome. So charismatic. I hear that horrible voice again – the voice of my paranoia. He’s getting tired of you. That’s what this is all about.
    ‘It was nothing you did,’ says Marc, not looking at me. ‘Just ... trust me, this is f or the best right now. It’s my way of keeping you safe.’ He heads to the door.
    ‘Wait ,’ I call to Marc’s retreating back, tears coming now.
    ‘We’ll talk later .’ Marc leaves and the bedroom door slams closed behind him.

11
    I shower and dress, my mind swirling with unpleasant thoughts. Something weird is going on – bad weird. And I hate not knowing what.
    Once I’m dressed, I call Leo and ask if he can meet right away.
    Leo gives a firm ‘yes’, and tells me he’ll bring doughnuts and coffee to the theatre.
    I head downstairs and find Keith waitin g in the hallway. He’s in his chauffeur’s uniform, complete with grey cap, and he touches the peak when he sees me.
    My hair is still damp from the shower and hanging around my shoulders. Until my hair dries, I look like a wild woman. But if I use a hairdryer it sends my hair into a wild frizz.
    ‘Good morning Miss Sophia,’ Keith calls out.
    I smile . ‘Come on, Keith. You know it’s just Sophia where I’m concerned.’
    ‘I know. Just teasing. I believe I have the pleasure of taking you to the theatre today?’
    It’s strange seeing Keith in Marc’s house. I’ve only ever seen him in the car or the garage before, but I guess he must come inside pretty often. Marc isn’t the sort of man to let his staff wait in cold garages.
    A very loyal employer. Isn’t that what Keith said about Marc? And he’s loyal to Denise too, taking care of her over the years. And I’ve seen myself how loyal he is. To his students. To the college.
    Is he proposing to me out of loyalty? says a nasty voice. Maybe he’s worried he’s ruined my reputation and now he has to do the right thing.
    God, what’s wrong with me tod ay?
    ‘Marc wants me to go t here, so I guess I’m going,’ I say, attempting a smile.
    ‘You do n’t strike me as the sort of girl who’d do everything Marc told you to. In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s one of the reasons Marc is so head over heels about you. You have a mind of your own.’
    ‘ Most of the time,’ I laugh. ‘But it’s easy to lose my head when Marc’s around.’
    We head down to the garage, my brain still working at one hundred miles an hour.
    *****
    When we drive out of the townhouse, I notice black-clothed security men around the gate.
    ‘Do you know why those security guards at there?’ I ask Keith, as we swing out into the road.
    ‘ Beats me,’ says Keith, turning onto the busy main road. ‘They weren’t here when I arrived. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Marc is a “better safe than sorry” kind of guy.’
    ‘Uh ... Keith,’ I say. ‘Aren’t we going the wrong way?’
    ‘Marc’s orders,’ says Keith. ‘We’ll be varying our route to the theatre from now on.’
    ‘Oh.’ I chew my thumb nail. ‘Keith, what’s going on? Marc wanted me to leave the townhouse as soon as possible. And then there are these extra guards on the gate, and you’ve been told to take a different route. I thought the townhouse was safe …’
    ‘ If I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that Marc always has good reasons for his actions.’
    ‘If you’re sure …’
    ‘Oh, I’m sure.’ Keith’s eyes mist over. ‘You know, years ago, when I first started working for Marc, he asked me to take what I thought was a