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“Oh,where they were, she her Presence than he “I could not help myself, truly I couldn’t A frail wreck is woale of passion!”

Gale ld „of passion? “No doubt,” Jasper muttered

He wished he’d had tiht’ve settled his head a bit and helped hi to tell hier wished to become the fourth Viscountess Vale But he, poor du worse than a tedious wedding followed by a protracted wedding breakfast Instead, he’d been met at the church doors by Mr and Mrs Terim, the latter suspiciously nervous Add to that, his lovely bride with fresh tears on her face, and he’d known, somewhere deep in his dark and heavy soul, that he would not be eating wedding cake today

He sh and eyed his erstwhile bride-to-be Mary Teht blue eyes, a fresh creamy co forward to the pluht morosely as she paced in front of him

“Oh, Julius!” Miss Te out her lovely, round arms It was really too bad that the vestry was such a little rooer venue “If only I didn’t love you so!”

Jasper blinked and leaned forward, conscious that he , because he didn’t remember this Julius “Ah, Julius?”

She turned and widened her robin’s-egg-blue eyes Really, they were rather nificent “Julius Fernwood The curate in the town near Papa’s country estate”

He was being thrown over for a curate?

“Oh, if you could see his gentle brown eyes, his butter-yellow hair, and his grave demeanor, I know you would feel as I do”

Jasper arched an eyebrow That seemed most unlikely

“I love him, my lord! I love him with all my simple soul”

In an alar move, she dropped to her knees before him, her pretty, tearstained face upturned, her soft white hands clutched together between her rounded boso of you, release s so that I may fly to my true love, the love I will cherish in my heart no matter if I am forced to marry you, forced into your arms, forced to endure your animal lusts, forced to—”

“Yes, yes,” Jasper cut in hastily before she could enlarge on her portrait of hi beast bent on ravishment “I can see that I’ I retire from the field of matrimony Please Go to your true love Felicitations and all that”

“Oh, thank you, my lord!” She seized his hands and pressed rateful, forever in your debt If ever—”

“Quite Should I ever need a butter-haired curate or a curate’s wife, et cetera, et cetera I’ll keep the thought in mind” With a sudden inspiration, Jasper reached into his pocket and drew out a handful of half crowns They’d been“Here For your nuptials I wish you every happiness with, er, Mr Fernwood”