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if Mrs. Bates has any last-minute instructions for me." |
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She ran hastily up the steps, watching her footing because the uneven stone stairs were not designed for speed. At the top of the flight, Linda raised her head just in time to save herself from literally running into Peter. He was furiouswhite with rage, eyes blazing. |
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"Oh, Peter," Linda gasped, torn between her need to get back to the house and her duties there and her desire to explain what had happened. "It wasn't what you thought. Donald isn't interested in me at all." |
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"He has one hell of a funny way of showing it," Peter snarled. |
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"I haven't time to explain now. I've got to get back and make sure everything's ready for the dinner tonight. Look, as soon as the party's over, I'll meet you in the gazebo. It's a long story, and a kind of funny one. You'll enjoy it." |
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But Peter was in no mood to listen to funny stories or to wait to hear one. Seeing how angry he still was, Linda would have told him moreat least enough to pacify himbut she was facing the house and saw Mrs. Bates step off the verandah and glance around. |
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"There's your aunt, looking for me," she said, and moved to step around Peter. |
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The movement to escape him increased his fury so much that he was deaf to what she had said. He grasped her arm brutally tight and wrenched her back toward him so that |
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