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Emma Holly Anthology 16 Books Blacklace
Emma Holly Anthology 16 Books Blacklace
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BLACKLACE1byPortia Da Costa, Emma Holly and Kristina LloydBlack Lace novels are sexual fantasies. In real life, make sure youpractise safe sex.This omnibus edition published 2000 By BCA By arrangement with BlackLaceCopyright Portia Da Costa 1997 Copyright Emma Holly 1998 CopyrightKristina Lloyd 1998 The rights of the authors of the works has beenasserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All characters in this publication are fictitious any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way oftrade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulatedwithout the publisher's prior written consent in any form of binding orcover other than that in which it is published and without a similarcondition including this condition being imposed on the subsequentpurchaser Typeset by Set Systems Ltd, Saffron Walden, Essex PrintedandBound in Great Britain by Mackays of Chatham PLC, Chatham, Kent.The Strong.Portia Da Costa.Contents.1 The Man in the River.2 One Fine Day.3 The Man With No Name.4 House Guest.5 Doctor's Orders.6 Cassis and Other Intoxications.7 The Patient and his Treatment.8 Progressive Therapy, 9 Classic Recollections, 10 Memento Mori,Memento Vivere, 11 Another House Guest.12 Creating a Stranger.13 Secrets and Lies and Stars, 14 Tristan in Trouble, 15 Invitations,16 Un Ballo in Maschera, 17 Saturn, and After.18 RegenerationDedicated to Mystery Men, everywhere and every when Long may theycontinue to enchant us!Chapter One. The Man in the River.There was a storm coming.Claudia Marwood looked up at the sky, and seeing only its high, bluecanopy pasted with a thin scattering of hazy gauze-like cloud, shewondered why she found the lovely sight portentous. It was a perfectsummer's day a classic yet something inside her sensed the distantthreat of thunder. She couldn't hear or see it, yet she knew it was onits way.Idiot!She paused in the scullery, eyeing her umbrella and the light cottonjacket she sometimes wore in the garden on cooler days. Don't be awimp! she told herself firmly, taking only a broad straw sun hat witha yellow ribbon before stepping out on to the terrazzo tiled patio atthe back of her house. If it does rain, you'll get wet. So what? Itwon't kill you!As she crossed the lawn, adjusting the angle of her hat as she went,she analysed her burst of small-scale bravado. She felt wild, sort of,and slightly daring. It suddenly dawned on her that she was actuallyvery happy.What a relief! At last! Striding out faster, almost skipping, sheenjoyed the spring of the immaculately cut turf beneath her sandal-cladfeet, then felt faintly dizzy for a second as she inhaled the richodours from her abundantly stocked flowerbeds. The roses, the sweetpeas, the scented shrubs.Good God, it was summer, she was as fit as a fiddle, she had nocommitments and there was nothing at all that she had to do! The woodpigeons were cooing while honey bees were hovering over the roses andthe pelargoniums, and she too shared their unquestioning contentment.At the bottom of the garden a little lych gate led through into thecopse beyond, and the path beyond it led down towards the river. AsClaudia passed through, she felt another rush of satisfaction. Thiswas also her land and she could enjoy her stroll in perfect peacewithout meeting other walkers. This new feeling of hers had a delicatequality to it, and she wanted to examine and analyse it, not have itpopped like a balloon before she could savour it. She would be wantingnew people around her soon, she was sure of that, but for now she feltmore comfortable alone or with just her closer friends.The copse on a summer's afternoon was a magical place to