Masquerade Read Online Free

pursuing areas of their own natural interest.” How could Slade find fault with that answer?
    I might have a chance at this job, Clarissa thought. I might be able to pull it off.
    Slade said, “Thank you for coming, Mrs. McGrath. My assistant will call you tonight and let you know my decision.” Clarissa’s gaze instantly swung back to the silk plants. “Elaina, come here. It’s our turn now.”
    The plants remained still and silent.
    Clarissa stood and walked to the trees. She pushed aside the foliage. “Elaina?”
    No one was there.
    Clarissa’s eyes now swept over the room, looking for her daughter’s hiding place. She could hear the click of heels across the floor in the next room and knew Mrs. McGrath was leaving.
    “Elaina,” Clarissa whispered. “Come here, right now!” She glanced behind the chair, and then, because it was the only hiding place left in the room, Clarissa knelt down beside the couch.
    The couch stood high off the floor with a ruffled skirt, which concealed everything underneath. It probably could have accommodated several small children. Clarissa lifted the ruffle and looked to see if it hid hers. The area was dark, and it was impossible to see anything, so Clarissa reached out her hand to see if she could touch something that felt like a three-year-old.
    “We evicted the dust bunnie s from underneath the furniture,” Slade’s voice came from directly behind her, “but if you’re interested, we have a fine lint collection behind the washing machine.”
    Clarissa jumped at the sound of Slade and, in doing so, banged the side of her face into the bottom of the couch. Then, more slowly, she turned to look up at him. He was taller than she’d expected and even more striking. In real life his hair was darker, his features stronger, and his brown eyes had an intensity she never saw on TV. There was something about him that reminded her of a lion. Something sleek, powerful, and full of pent-up energy.
    Clarissa got to her feet. “I was looking for my daughter. She seems to have wandered off.”
    “Under the couch?”
    “Well, no. I just figured she must be in here someplace, and I’ve looked everywhere else.”
    Slade appraised her silently. “You lost your daughter?” And although he didn’t actually come right out and say, “And yet you want a job taking care of mine?” the question hung in the air.
    “She was just here and I . . .” How could she explain? She couldn’t tell him she’d been so busy eavesdropping she hadn’t been paying attention to Elaina. “She can’t have gone far.”
    The door to the hallway stood slightly ajar. She went to it and peered down the hallway.
    Empty.
    “Elaina?” she called.
    No one replied.
    Clarissa stood there, feeling her heart pound, and looked hopelessly down the hallway.
    Slade came up beside her and looked down the hallway himself. “How far did you say she usually wanders?”
    Clarissa wasn’t sure whether his voice was laced with amusement or just amazement. At this point it didn’t matter. “Look,” she told him, “you probably don’t consider me capable of watching children. You don’t have to hire me to watch yours, but could you please help me find my daughter?”
    He nodded slowly. “All right.” He stepped out into the hallway and tilted his head back. “Meredith?”
    She appeared in one of the doorways down the hall. “Yes?”
    “Mrs. Hancock has misplaced her daughter. Could you help her search down here, and I’ll try upstairs?”
    Meredith’s gaze turned to Clarissa, and for a moment she saw sympathy there. “Certainly.”
    Slade walked leisurely down to the end of the hallway and disappeared through one of the corridors. Meredith walked to the other end of the hallway and began looking in rooms. Clarissa followed her, scanning everything for movement, and every once in a while called out, “Elaina, come here right now!”
    Clarissa tried to quell the sense of panic that nipped at her. After all, Elaina