'I'll tell her you said so. She likes it when people tell her she's beautiful.' His tone was wry.

Then it seemed they'd used up all the small talk; an awkward silence fell between them. Allie shifted her weight on to one delicate sandal, digging the toe of the other into the dirt. Watching her, he leaned against a stone pillar.

'What are you doing out in the cold, Allie?' His voice was low.

You know what. Or you wouldn't be here, too.

'I don't know ... I guess I just needed some air.' Her eyes challenged him. 'What are you doing out here?'

His shoulders tensed; when he spoke his voice was low. 'I followed you.'

She felt the breath go out of her. 'Why?' The word came out as a whisper.

'Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connat point.' He recited the French phrase too fast, and Allie shook her head.

'I don't understand.' Not knowing what he'd said left her feeling almost panicked. 'What does that mean?'

But when his gaze locked on hers the longing she saw there answered her question. 'It means that I want to be with you. That I can't get you out of my head.' He pounded his fist with restrained violence against the pillar. 'I have tried everything I know how to try, and you're still there.'

Two breaths in. One breath out.

'I ... I think about you, too.' She could barely hear herself speak over the thudding of her heart. 'But ...'

Uncontrollably, her thoughts flickered back to the summer ball. She could tell by the way his blue eyes flashed that he knew what she was thinking.

'I know I did a bad thing. A stupid thing. But people change, Allie.' His voice was passionate, almost desperate. 'People learn. If they didn't, what would be the point of this?' His arm swept towards the school building they could just see through the trees. 'What would be the point of life? You've changed while you've been here I've watched you change. Well, I've changed too. And I'm sorry about what I did that night. If there was some way to take it all back ...'

Suddenly she didn't care about the summer ball or anything else. She'd spent so much time worrying about how Carter felt and what Carter wanted. What about what she wanted?

Anyway, she thought, the horrible truth is Carter has Jules now. He doesn't want me any more.

So why shouldn't she have Sylvain? No matter what she'd done, Carter thought she wanted to be with Sylvain. Now she could find out once and for all if she did want to be with him.

At least Sylvain cared about her. Sylvain wanted her.

'You can take it back,' she said suddenly. Sylvain stared at her with open surprise. Before she could change her mind, she ran across the space that divided them. His jacket slid from her shoulders, pooling forgotten on the frosty ground.

'Let's just take it all back.'

She could see the doubt in his eyes, as if he didn't believe this was really happening.

Reaching up, she traced the outline of his lips with her fingertips. He closed his eyes. Then, sliding her hands around his neck, she pulled him down to her.

At first she was distracted by how differently he kissed than Carter his lips were softer, more assured. It felt strange. Wrong.

But she wasn't going to chicken out. Instead of pulling away, she leaned into him and the kiss which had been tentative at first strengthened as Sylvain realised she was serious about this. Hesitantly, his hands slid down the silk of her dress to her waist when she didn't pull away he drew her more tightly against him. When her lips parted for him, he groaned softly at the back of his throat; her bones seemed to soften and she leaned into him as his arms tightened around her. She was so close to him, she could feel his heart thudding as if it were beating in her own chest.

Allie poured all the loneliness of the last five weeks into that kiss. The pain of Carter breaking up with her. Blaming herself for everything. The long nights with no one to talk to. Longing for something she wasn't supposed to want.

As if he sensed this, Sylvain cupped the back of her head to kiss her more deeply. Gasping against his lips, she slid her hands up to tangle her fingers in the soft waves of his hair.

Heat radiated from his body as if he had a fever; Allie wasn't cold any more. She wasn't alone any more.

There was no logic to this no plan. Maybe this was a bad idea. She didn't care any more.

His lips moved down the side of her face to her ear then on to her neck and, breathing in short gasps, she dropped her head back. But something soft and delicate like feathers of ice tickled her face, distracting her.

Opening her eyes, she saw white crystals whirling against the darkness, and she straightened with a small cry. 'It's snowing!'

Still wrapped in each other's arms, they looked up into the infinity of snow falling from a night sky. The world seemed to hush around them.

'It's a sign,' he said. A few snowflakes had settled disarmingly on his eyelashes and his white teeth flashed as he smiled.

'A sign of what?' She wondered if she looked that happy to him.

'That this is right.'

As they walked through the snow to the front door Allie picking her way carefully in Jo's foolish shoes she told him her plan to meet Lucinda.

'What will you ask her?' His arm was tight around her waist, his body warm against hers.

'That's the problem,' she said, as they reached the door. 'I don't know.'

'She's your grandmother she'll understand.'

Inside the warmth that had seemed so claustrophobic before was now welcome. The party had not abated, and the cacophony crashed over them like a wave.

'I'm going to run upstairs just to fix ..' She gestured at her face.

Smoothing the snow from her hair, Sylvain smiled into her eyes then he brushed his lips against her cheek so lightly it made her shiver. 'Come and find me.'

'Where will you be?'

'In the great hall.' He let her go with a regretful sigh. 'With my parents.'

Dashing through the crowd, Allie ran up the grand staircase hoping she'd get a chance to be alone with him later, after his parents had left. Maybe this time they could go somewhere warmer. And start where they'd left off.

I'll just clean up my mascara and then ...

She never finished the thought.

At the top of the stairs, Isabelle was talking to someone even from here, Allie could hear the tension in her voice. Then a strangely familiar, powerful voice floated back to her. Looking up, she saw Isabelle she was standing next to Lucinda.

Frozen in place on the stairs, Allie felt dizzy with excitement and fear. They were speaking too quietly for her to make out most of the words but she knew they were angry. She was still deciding what to do when she heard Isabelle's shoes tapping out a furious pattern as she walked away.

Holding her breath, Allie stood still to listen. She could hear nobody else up there. Was it possible Lucinda was alone?

Slowly at first, then with increasing speed, she ran up the stairs. But when she reached the wide landing her heart sank. It was empty. Lucinda must have left so quietly she hadn't heard.

Crushed, she was just turning away when a faint sound made her turn. That's when she saw Lucinda, standing in a nook, half hidden by a heavy curtain as she looked out the window.

Closing her eyes to summon her courage, Allie stepped closer to her. 'It's snowing.'

Her voice sounded strange and she cleared her throat.

'Nobody should be surprised.' Lucinda hadn't turned around. 'It was predicted after all.'

'I've been ... wanting to meet you.' Allie fought to hold her voice steady.

'And I've been wanting to meet you.' Lucinda turned to face her. 'Allie Sheridan. My long lost granddaughter.'

TWENTY-NINE.

'Come closer,' Lucinda said. 'So I can see you.'

After a moment's hesitation, Allie did as she said.

'You're very pretty, you know.' Lucinda's cool grey eyes, almost exactly like Allie's own, swept her from her heels to head. 'Except your hair. What on earth have you done to it?'

'It's temporary.' Allie's voice was weak. 'It will wash out. In a few ... weeks.'

'Thank God for that.' Lucinda had a regal posture she held her head as if she wore an invisible crown. 'You haven't got any tattoos have you?'

'Not yet,' Allie admitted, a little disappointed in herself.

'Not yet.' Lucinda echoed her words with a light laugh. 'Do think about it before you do it. What looks good at sixteen looks ludicrous at fifty. I see it all the time. Your grades are good. You're excelling.'

Her manner of switching subjects within the same breath was dizzying; she dominated the conversation with powerful ease, wrong-footing Allie from the start so she could never assert herself enough to ask a question. Besides, she was so busy studying Lucinda it was hard to focus her thoughts. Her grey dress fell to slim ankles under a matching jacket with a raised collar. The emerald ring on her right hand was as big as a pound coin. Platinum and diamond earrings sparkled discreetly beneath her hair. Despite her age, she had an athletic figure and a youthful face.

'I like it here.' Allie was determined to gain some control. 'If I like where I am, I work hard.' Remembering that she wouldn't be here without Lucinda's help she added, 'Thank you ... for getting me here.'

'It's not just hard work.' Lucinda eyed her sharply. 'You're naturally intelligent. Isabelle told me you were and I see she's right.'

Her praise made Allie's cheeks heat up, but she couldn't be distracted. This could be her only chance. She took a step towards her, pleading with her eyes for understanding.

'Lucinda ... Grandmother ...' It felt good to say that. 'Help me understand what's happening. I don't know what to do. Nathaniel has Christopher, and he's trying to take me. Can you protect me? Please?'

As she spoke, Lucinda's gaze softened, just a little. But her words offered little comfort. 'I am protecting you. My dear, have you no idea what's going on? Hasn't Isabelle told you?'

Confused and frustrated, Allie held up her empty hands. 'Isabelle said Nathaniel wants to take over the organisation and-'

Casting a tense look over her shoulder, Lucinda cut her off, gesturing for her to follow her into the window nook. On the other side of the glass, the snow fell so fast the outside world seemed to have disappeared behind a frozen veil.

'Things are very dangerous right now.' Lucinda's voice was low and she spoke quickly. 'Especially here. There are people here tonight who support Nathaniel against me. You must be careful what you say.'

'But why? Why do they support him?'

As Lucinda leaned against the windowsill, tension and tiredness made lines that weren't there before appear around her eyes. 'I have worked my whole life to change things in this country. To make things better. But something's changing. Not just here, in the rest of the world as well. Some people have become too rich, too powerful. And that power made them corrupt. Too much became not enough. Limits disappeared. And that's dangerous.' She looked over her shoulder. 'I can't explain it all to you now, Allie. This isn't the time or the place. But I will give you this advice: trust no one. Until we find out who among us is working for Nathaniel, no one is safe.'

As she spoke, Allie's world seemed to grow colder. She didn't know her grandmother at all but she recognised the fear in her eyes. It was like looking into her mother's face when she'd first asked her about Lucinda.

'I wish,' she said, 'that I'd met you before now.'

'I'm sorry it had to be like this,' her grandmother said briskly. 'But it was the way your mother wanted it and I wasn't going to force myself on her. We had an agreement.'

'It must have hurt ... her running away like that,' Allie said.

The look Lucinda gave her then was appraising. 'Life is full of pain, and you might as well get used to that right now, Allie. It doesn't go away. It accumulates. Like snow.' She glanced at the window. 'You just get better at dealing with it.'

On the stairs, footsteps approached them. For the first time Allie noticed the music had stopped.

Straightening, Lucinda stepped out from the window as a team of five men clearly her security team appeared at the top.

'Baroness.' The men surrounded her in a protective phalanx. 'We have to go.'

'What's happened?' Lucinda's voice was cool now, and fearless.

One of them turned away and spoke into a microphone attached to his sleeve. 'Orion protocol two-three-seven. Clear.'

As they hustled Lucinda down the stairs, Allie stayed hard on their heels, so she heard the first one say, 'There's been a security breach.'

Downstairs, all was chaos. Guests poured through the door in furs and diamonds, their bodyguards and chauffeurs leading them through snow that was now five inches deep. Some students were leaving with their parents, others stood around looking bewildered.

Panic threatened to sweep over Allie and she took deep gulps of air to steady herself. She wanted to scream in frustration.

I knew this would happen. Why didn't anyone listen?

Isabelle and Zelazny were nowhere to be seen, but Allie found Zoe with Jo and Rachel in one corner, watching the exodus. Jo's lips were white with nervousness.

'What's happening?' Allie asked, walking up.

'Someone made an announcement,' Rachel said. 'About the snow, but he gave some code and everyone ran for the door.'

'Where were you? I waited for you.' Zoe fairly vibrated with impatience. 'We have to go right now.'

Allie didn't ask where. Turning to Rachel and Jo, she said, 'We're going to ... uh ...' She tilted her head towards the door.

Rachel gave her a warning look. 'Be careful.'

Hopping on one foot, Allie pulled off her heels before running after Zoe; as they rushed down the stairs their skirts billowed around them like sails.