Title: Sans Une Parole
Author: Maggi Lynn

Prologue/Teaser

She was gone.

Nora Willman was gone.

Out of his house; out of his life. Out of his heart? Nicholas Hampton wasn’t entirely sure if she had ever been in his heart to begin with. What had seemed like an unrequited love at the time had boiled down into something that had fizzled out and had left both parties involved quite relieved, indeed.

The only problem was, such a relationship had not involved a mere two people like was originally intended. No, there were more issues to contend with, one of whom was standing in the doorway of Nicholas’ library with a confused look on her lovely, pale features.

He strode past her without so much as a second glance, and she instinctively shrunk away from him. As Nicholas leaned over to pour himself a drink to calm his nerves, he heard her moving out of the room.

“I didn’t dismiss you,” he stated harshly, breaking the silence and making the woman to whom the sentence was directed turn abruptly.

She looked unsure of herself as she answered with an unsteady, “I didn’t think you wanted to see me.”

His body turned slightly toward hers in a stiff manner. “You never seem to think, do you, Grace?” his voice was tinted with sarcasm and contempt. “Tell me, darling,” – the last word had an overabundant amount of emphasis on it – “who’s to say this child is really my own?”

He had hurt her, as he intended to, and the delicate line of her jaw hardened dramatically. “Think what you will,” she told him stubbornly, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. “The good Lord knows you will, anyway. No amount of what I tell you will change that.” With that, she turned on her heel and stalked out of the room.

A/N: No riots, please! This is all I have, and I have no idea where I'm going with it next. Have fun wondering! ::laughs evilly::