U yoho ochach

Tumanna Anhliya. Na okolytsyach arystokratychnoho Londona stoyit′ staryy rozkishnyy mayetok, de kozhna stina zberihaye rodynni tayemnytsi, a kozhen portret — chyyus′ provynu. Astoriya Lovford — moloda zhinka, na chyyemu mistsi, zdavalosya b, mriye opynytysya led′ ne kozhna. YIyi zhyttya — vtilennya anhliys′koyi mriyi: vplyvovyy bat′ko, blyskuchi baly, rodynnyy mayetok ta ideal′nyy shlyub, yakyy harantuye status i bezpeku. Prote z kozhnym dnem u yiyi bezdohannomu sviti z'yavlyayet′sya nova trischyna: dyvni zbihy, plitky pro rodynne proklyattya, mareva ta neznayomets′ u karnaval′niy mastsi, yakyy naviduyet′sya do neyi v snach… Odnak koly tini zi snovydin′ pochynayut′ prosochuvatysya v real′nist′, Astoriya rozumiye: z yiyi rodynoyu pov'yazani ne lyshe motoroshni lehendy. Kozhna tayemnytsya maye tsinu, i chtos′ uzhe hotovyy zaplatyty. ZHyvuchy sered brechni ta rozkoshi, zhinka maye obraty: pokirno hraty v chuzhiy vystavi chy shukaty istynu, yaka vreshti znyschyt′ idyliyu. I koly tini tyahtymut′ u nevidomist′, Astoriya matyme lyshe dva varianty: vtekty… abo podyvytysya yiy pryamo v ochi. Bo inodi naystrashnishe — tse zustritysya pohlyadom z tym, chto znaye tebe krasche, nizh ty sama.