Free The Wicked Game (A Wicked Game Novel) by Olivia Fuller Page A

had reached her family she had created an intricately detailed story, both hilarious and heroic.
    As Angela told her family, “I passed Andrew in the hallway as I headed towards the steps that led to the terrace. I was about to place my foot on the first step when a large rat ran past me. So as it happened the sight of this rat set me to shrieking and hopping up and down. That’s how I ripped my dress you see.”
    Her mother shook he head but her eyes were still transfixed on her daughter’s clothing.
    Angela continued anyway. “Meanwhile, Andrew who heard the screaming and knew that the only place I could have been heading was the stairs, immediately assumed that I had fallen down them! So he threw all his tools to the floor and came running around the corner to save me!”
    She paused here to gauge the reactions.
    “However, when he finally caught sight of me and realized that I was actually not in danger, it was too late. He couldn’t stop and his momentum sent him flying down the steps instead. So I, who had suffered nothing more than a ripped dress after stepping on the hem while jumping, let out another shriek at the sight of Andrew tumbling past me, arms and legs flailing wildly. He crashed with such a sudden thud at the bottom of the stairs that I quickly fled down the steps intent on saving him!
    “But you see mother, I didn’t yet know my dress was ripped and while I was rushing to make sure he was uninjured, I tripped on the hem and ended up tumbling down the stairs after all. Thank goodness Andrew was there to break my fall!”
    At first no one spoke but then without warning, Lord Cheston himself slapped his knee and hollered with laughter. The story was so absurd it just had to be true. Soon the entire room was wild with merriment.
    As it turned out, everyone was so enchanted by the story that no one thought to ask about the whereabouts of the Duke. By the time anyone remembered about him, it was well into the night and everyone just assumed that he had retired home for the evening.
    Well , thought Andrew, she’s safe for now. The pair exchanged knowing looks before going their separate ways. They only looked back once (or was it twice?) and smiled.

Chapter Seven
     
    It was a secret she would hold inside her heart forever. She had been attacked, violated, and almost taken but women had no voice, especially in the world of elite families. Her family preferred the Duke for her match and if the attack had been seen, her fate would’ve been sealed. It was thanks only to Andrew, a servant, that both her life and innocence were intact.
    The next morning the rain came pouring down.
    She could never cry out loud for the horror she had faced, so she let the rain be her own tears, each drop a sorrow from the depths of her heart. It washed over her and the house, cleansing some of the fears that she felt inside, but it would never be able to erase the memory completely. With this thought, Angela was not surprised when the rain continued pouring for a week. The crying rain, so strong and powerful, flooded the roads to and from the country home leaving her family prisoners inside. But Angela didn’t mind and thanked the weather for this gift of solitude when she needed it the most.
    During the first day of home confinement Angela took to wandering the massive country manor. The view was beautiful and calming and she marveled that she had never noticed it before. Her eyes scanned the horizon and she set them on a familiar stretch of the land; the place where she had first seen Andrew and misjudged him for a scrawny boy. Amused, she retreated into her thoughts and when she came to, she was at the stairs of the servant’s quarters.
    What inside force had driven her to this place, she wondered. But she didn’t have time to ponder the thought. The sound of footsteps caught her attention and when she opened her eyes, Andrew came into focus. Her heart took a gentle leap and a peace fell over her body. His expression