Read Online The Gilded Curse: Will the young heiress be the next victim of her family's curse? by Marilyn Turk - Free Book Online Page A

respond to an invitation from them? I don’t know—what did the telegram say?”
    “Destiny needs you. Please come right away.”
    “Destiny needs you?” Russell shook his head, his lips curving upward. “Rather cryptic.”
    Lexie frowned. “Why must you find everything so humorous? Here I am, in a place I never intended to be because I believed someone I knew wanted me to come!”
    Russell sobered, tenderness softening his eyes. “Okay. Okay. I didn’t mean to joke. I’m sorry, Lexie. The whole situation is just bizarre.”
    She blew out a breath and turned away from him, facing the sapphirewater of the Atlantic. Why on earth was she here?
    “So, if you didn’t want me to come, I don’t see why I need to stay. I’ve seen the house and know its condition. I’ll just have our accountant draw up the papers to sell it.”
    Russell laid his hand on her arm as if to hold her in place. “Must you leave so soon? You’re already here, so take a few days to relax.”
    “Ha! Relax, he says. That fall back there wasn’t very relaxing.”
    “Let me make it up to you. Surely I can do something to make your time here more enjoyable. Or is there something back in New York you must return to? Or someone?” The last comment was accompanied by a wistful expression.
    Lexie shook her head. No one waited for her back home, other than the staff at the hospital. She had taken a leave of absence, but expected to be back by the end of the month.
    “I can afford a few more days here, if necessary.”
    “Necessary? All right then, I declare your enjoyment necessary to your health. But don’t you want to stay to find out who sent the telegram?”
    She did, but her gut feelings warned her to be careful. Still, she was curious about the strange events that had occurred since her arrival. The faces of people she had encountered paraded through her mind. Did one of them send the telegram? Based on the less than friendly reception she received, none of them seemed to want her here.
    Cold water lapped her feet and she jumped, watching the stealthy wave recede back to the ocean.
    “Tide’s coming in.” Russell stood and stretched, then leaned over to pull their things away from the encroaching water.
    The wind picked up, sending a rush of cold air through Lexie’s thin sweater. She hugged herself, rubbing her arms to get warm. “I think it’s time to go,” she said.
    Russell glanced at her, nodded, and picked up the basket. Lexie took the tablecloth and shook the sand from it before folding it and placing it back in the basket. She brushed off her hands when she finished and turned to leave. Russell lifted the bike and joined her.
    “Want to ride back?” He leaned the bike toward her.
    She shook her head. “No, thank you.”
    “It’s a long walk back.”
    Lexie’s bruised leg throbbed, telling her the long walk would be painful.
    “Well, we can’t both ride the bike.”
    “Why not?”
    “What?”
    “Sure. You sit on the handlebars and I’ll pedal. Remember when we used to race like that, with you sitting on Robert’s handlebars?”
    “But I was just a girl and much smaller.”
    “Oh, come on. Be a sport.”
    If there was one thing Lexie couldn’t do, it was refuse a challenge.
    “Promise me you won’t run into any trees or anything.”
    Russell crossed his heart with his fingers then raised his hand as a pledge.
    “I’ll be very careful with you, m’dear. We’ll take another path back.”
    “Well, okay. Hold the bike steady.” Russell slipped the handle of the picnic basket over the handlebars and straddled the bike, bracing it while Lexie climbed up, using his shoulder for support.
    “You can lean back on me if you’d be more comfortable.”
    The invitation was attractive, but she preferred to sit up and balance with her hands beside her on the handlebars.
    “Okay, I’m ready.”
    “Keep those pants away from the spokes.” Russell started pedaling over the hard-packed sand, and they were on their