And then she looks back at me, and sees Jase standing by my side. Her eyes widen, and then she smiles at him—a long, slow, predatory smile.
“Well, hello,” she murmurs. “I’m Plum Saybourne. And who are you?”
“J-Jase Barnes,” he answers, and there’s a bit of a stammer as he says his name.
Plum’s magic works on everyone.
“I’m glad to see there’s at least one consolation in this hellhole,” she says, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
“You should go in and see my grandmother,” I say firmly, determined to get rid of her. “Inside and up the stairs. There’s a door marked HEADMISTRESS’S OFFICE. Her secretary, Penelope, works there. She’ll tell my grandmother you’re here.”
“Oh, the excitement! My heart is pounding in anticipation,” Plum drawls with sarcasm. “Well, better get it over with, I suppose.”
Dropping her cigarette to the gravel and not bothering to stub it out with her high-heeled boot, she walks toward the wide stairs that lead up to the front door, smoke curling upward in her wake. Over her shoulder, she calls to the driver:
“Can you start bringing those in? It’s bloody cold out here.”
To my great annoyance, Jase swivels his head, watching her go. Only after she’s disappeared inside does he turn back to me.
And we stand there, looking at each other, as Plum’s driver carries her bags inside.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lauren Henderson was born in London and lived in Tuscany and Manhattan before returning to London to settle down with one husband and two very fat cats. She has written seven books in the Sam Jones mystery series, which has been optioned for American TV; many short stories; and three romantic comedies. Her nonfiction dating guide, Jane Austen’s Guide to Dating, has been optioned as a feature film by the writer behind Ten Things I Hate About You and Ella Enchanted. Lauren’s books have been translated into more than twenty languages. With Stella Duffy, she has edited an anthology of women-behaving-badly crime stories, Tart Noir; their joint Web site is www.tartcity.com. Lauren has been described as both the Dorothy Parker and the Betty Boop of the crime novel. Her interests include trapeze classes, gymnastics, and eating complex carbohydrates.
ALSO BY LAUREN HENDERSON
Kiss Me Kill Me
Adult Fiction
Tart Noir (anthology, edited with Stella Duffy)
Exes Anonymous
My Lurid Past
Don’t Even Think About It
Pretty Boy
Chained
The Strawberry Tattoo
Freeze My Margarita
Black Rubber Dress
Too May Blondes
Dead White Female
Adult Nonfiction
Jane Austen’s Guide to Dating
Published by Delacorte Press
an imprint of Random House Children’s Books
a division of Random House, Inc.
New York
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2009 by Lauren Henderson
All rights reserved.
Delacorte Press and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Henderson, Lauren.
Kisses and lies / Lauren Henderson.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Sequel to: Kiss me kill me.
Summary: Orphaned British teenager Scarlett Wakefield postpones her romance with the handsome son of the school groundskeeper in order to travel to Scotland with her American sidekick, Taylor, in search of clues to the murder of a boy who dropped dead after kissing Scarlett.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89185-4
[1. Mystery and detective stories. 2. Murder—Fiction. 3. Friendship—Fiction. 4. Wealth—Fiction. 5. Orphans—Fiction. 6. England—Fiction. 7. Scotland—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.H3807Kk 2009
[Fic]—dc22
2008034711
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