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chapter 15

"You've never done this before, have you?"

Caroline shook her head, not looking up from the pages of her book as she read through the next chapter. Joseph frowned slightly as he watched Caroline read and reread the same paragraph over and over again, occasionally glancing at the page. He studied her for a moment before he shifted his attention to the pages which covered Caroline's entire front and began to wonder about the words she was reading. Caroline didn't react much when she noticed him studying the book, so Joseph decided that he'd better just turn his attention elsewhere. Looking around the room, he spotted Alexander lying in a heap on his bed, seemingly fast asleep. He smiled slightly, wondering briefly if Alexander might be more comfortable resting in the room than in their shared bed in the attic.

"So, how long do you think it will take us to reach the end of this novel?" Caroline questioned quietly.

"It depends on whether we stop or go a little farther back. There isn't a great deal of information here, unfortunately. We should probably wait a little longer until we reach the main plot. Do you want to stay here tonight?" Joseph suggested, raising his eyebrows slightly.

Caroline thought for a moment before responding. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Alright then. Shall we eat something first?" Joseph inquired.

Caroline nodded absentmindedly as she set the book down in front of her before turning to glance at him.

"Actually, I haven't eaten anything since breakfast." She admitted sheepishly.

"I see. Well, we can always order something from the canteen." Joseph suggested.

Caroline gave him a grateful smile before setting the book back onto the desk beside her bed. The pair fell silent once again as they sat there watching the clock tick steadily, the time slowly passing and eventually moving to 11 o'clock.

"So..." Joseph said hesitantly, turning his attention to Caroline once more. "What exactly was so important that you wanted me to meet you here?"

Caroline smiled, her lips curling upwards as she remembered what she had wanted to discuss with him.

"About the letter..." she began.

"I know. I saw it." Joseph interrupted calmly.

Caroline's brow furrowed slightly. "You what?"

"I saw the note when you were writing it." Joseph explained, nodding toward the letter which had ended up sitting at the bottom of the bed.

Caroline frowned as she picked up the paper and glanced down at it again. The note contained the following:

Dear Mr. Barringford,

I hope that this is the last chance you're giving me to make things right. You're my best friend, George. I know you must have missed me a lot these past couple of weeks, but I can't keep doing this to you forever. Please come to the mansion when it gets dark tomorrow night. We have important stuff to discuss together. And, please...be careful.

Sincerely,

Charlotte

Her heart ached as she thought about the events that had taken place at the house, the memories flooding back to her. Even though she had managed to forget most of the things that had transpired at the party, it still hurt her deeply just to think about. The sight of the mangled corpse on the ground, the sight of the terrified look on Alexander's face before he collapsed, the fear that she had felt towards the end of the party. Everything that had occurred there…the sight of the red-haired man laying unconscious in the centre of the room. It was all fresh in her memory.

There were many things she wanted to say to him, to ask him, but all she could manage to say was, "I'm sorry, George…"

Joseph glanced at her sympathetically, knowing what she had meant without even having to speak. He reached over and placed a gentle hand against her cheek.

"