Seduction: A Novel of Suspense by Rose M J Read Free Book Online

brooding. Jac looked old-fashioned, unlike the girls she saw on television or in the pages of magazines. Jac only recognized herself in Pre-Raphaelite paintings in the museums she visited with her mother. Found resemblances in the heavy-lidded women in nineteenth-century compositions of medieval subjects done in abundant detail and intense colors.
    But Theo hadn’t looked at her as if she was out of fashion. He’d stared with curiosity. And as he did, Jac saw heat flush his cheeks that was matched on her own. Unused to feeling desire, caught off guard by it, she turned. And ran.
    Jac and Theo had spent the next two weeks dancing around each other—flirting with looks but not ever really talking. They were like any two high school kids, attracted to each other but too shy to do anything about it. Except they weren’t in high school but at a psychiatric clinic in the Swiss Alps that dealt with cases of borderline personalities, schizophrenia and mood disorders.
    Patients at Blixer Rath were not locked up. No one was under guard. Only young adults who were highly functional and not deemed dangerous were admitted. The patients were encouraged to make friends with each other and engage in social activities. If they were doing well and had permission during daylight hours, they were allowed to check out to take hikes, go swimming or play tennis with each other during free periods.
    Romantic liaisons, however, were not allowed. Alcohol, cigarettesand recreational drugs were prohibited. Packages were inspected and contraband was removed.
    Breaking one rule merited a stern talking-to. Breaking more than one meant privileges were curtailed. Theo broke all the rules. But for a long time no one but Jac knew.
    He said rules made him feel like a prisoner. So instead of checking out, he’d sign into the library then leave via an open window in the back of the stacks where no one ever went. He had smuggled drugs in with him when he arrived, somehow managing to escape detection. Mostly marijuana but some more potent illegal substances. He bribed the kitchen help with exorbitant sums of money even they couldn’t resist, and had a steady supply of cigarettes and wine.
    Until Theo arrived, Jac had been a model patient. She’d never even thought about breaking the rules. Once she met him, that changed. Because she’d been at Blixer Rath for several months and was trusted, her initial infractions, staying out later than curfew, didn’t alarm anyone.
    Not at first.
    Dear Jac,
    It’s been a long time since that summer we first met. And what a strange summer it was. My biggest regret about my time at Blixer Rath has always been that I left without getting my friend’s surname or any other information about you. For years, I wanted to find you but didn’t know how. In some of my bleakest moments, I even wondered if you were real or a figment of that very confusing time.
    To bring you up to date, quickly. I live on the Isle of Jersey, in my ancestral home, with two great-aunts. I own and run a local art gallery I inherited from my mother. I was happily married until six months ago. Sadly, tragically, my wife died in an accident. We were childless.
    It’s been a period of unspeakable grief for me. In my search for solace, or at least a way to cope with and try to understand my unrelenting state of mourning, I turned to reading. I’ve been spendingmy time in the overflowing library here at Wells in Wood and at the local bookstore.
    Which leads me to this letter.
    It was in that store that I stumbled upon the book you’d written and learned of your work with mythology. It was a wonderful book and brought back so many memories about our summer at Blixer Rath. It also provided me with that missing clue—your last name. But even with that, I wasn’t able to find out where you live or an address. So I’m writing to you care of Malachai. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner. Perhaps because my need to find you wasn’t as