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darling.”
    I was bound to. I was alone in the castle without adult supervision.
    ***
    No matter how many times I reminded myself that I had permission to be in Jean-Luc’s home office, I couldn’t stop the dreadful feeling that only comes when breaking rules. The office was a no-go zone. Until that moment, I’d never been further than the doorway. Realising it was probably my first and only visit, I spent some time looking around.
    The furniture was exactly the same as the rest of the house – antique, wooden and huge. The view of the park from the big arched window was probably one of the best in the city, and in my cheekiest move of the day I sat at his desk to admire it.
    Taking a selfie to prove I was there seemed juvenile but I did it anyway, then called Adam to brag.
    “Hey,” he answered. “I was just thinking about you.”
    “Really?” I asked, slowly spinning in the chair. “Was I naked?”
    He laughed. “Almost.”
    “Guess where I am.”
    “I would love to play this game with you, Charlotte,” he replied. “But I’m on my way to a meeting.”
    “Oh, that’s too bad.” I stopped spinning, got up and wandered over to the bookshelves lining the far wall. “It’s a good game.”
    “Better than the one I’m playing, I’m sure.” I could tell by his voice that he was on the move too. “I’m about to get hauled over the coals by my father.”
    “Because of yesterday?”
    “I hope so,” Adam replied. “I haven’t prepared a defence for any other misdemeanours.”
    On a high shelf among the rows of perfectly aligned books was a small box. “Well,” I said distractedly, “I wish you luck.”
    “That’s it?” Adam sounded indignant. “I tell you I’m about to get slaughtered and you wish me luck?”
    “I’m an old pro at being reprimanded,” I reminded him. “Just agree with everything he says and promise to do better.”
    “Excellent advice, Coccinelle.” I could hear the amusement in his voice. “It’s good to see that your years of bad behaviour counted for something.”
    “I’m reformed now.”
    That was a lie. I was hanging off the library ladder, making a grab for the mystery box as I said it.
    “I have to go,” he told me.
    I didn’t answer. I was too preoccupied with the box, which I now knew contained a cache of Bridget’s dolls. I had no idea what possessed her to hide them up there. I’d heard Jean-Luc warn her a hundred times not to go into his office.
    I repositioned the box on the shelf and made my way down the ladder, managing to keep my grip on the phone. “Before you go Adam, can I ask you something?”
    “Of course.”
    “When you were little, did you ever do anything naughty just to piss your dad off?”
    “No,” he admitted. “I never did. I was good and respectful well behaved.”
    “Like your daughter?”
    “Yes.” He laughed again. “Just like my daughter.”
    I stepped off the ladder and looked up at the box, marvelling at just how high Bridget had climbed to stash it. “It’s never too late to change your ways, Adam,” I told him, smiling. “A little illegal activity is good for the soul. Even Bridget knows that.”

6. APRON STRINGS
Adam
    By the time I walked into my father’s office, the pound of flesh he planned to strip from me had grown to two. I could tell he was pissed before he even spoke.
    “Take a seat,” he ordered.
    I did, but with attitude. “I’m fine thanks, Dad. How are you?”
    “If you wanted pleasantries, Adam, you should’ve arrived on time.”
    I wasn’t overly concerned by the cool reception. He had a right to be upset. Bringing Bridget to the office was unprofessional and bailing on my working day two hours later was irresponsible.
    “I’m sorry about yesterday,” I said. “It won’t happen again.”
    I didn’t even come close to winning him over. His sour expression remained. “I can’t fault your work, son,” he admitted. “What I can’t understand is your lack of enthusiasm.”
    I