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Catching her other hand, he pulled her irritably back into his ar what? That we should et Ievensaidthat" Shelaughed with a shake of her head, as if the idea were quite ridiculous, he noted withannoyance"I a thatwe could marry"
"And - just to satisfy my curiosity, mind you - why is it that we couldnot htly, as ifshe was surprised that he needeven ask "Whybecause Well" And then she burst out laughing
Daniel felt his indignation grow Not that he had beenthinking that theyht about it, it was not abad idea Hehad to randain her landand title They were both in thesaement People did that all the time
She, however, didn’t seem to see thesense init Shewho needed a husband or, as far as he kneould be left with nothing, laughed at the idea oftheir daughtersandgranddaughtersat himin hopes of just such a hterdied sloay as she realized hehadn’t joined her in itIn fact, helooked quite put out "Because ouldnot suit, " she said seriously"You are far too " He raised an eyebrow at her hesitation, and she sighed "You are serious, aren’t you? "
His silence was her only answer
Valoree actually consideredthe in his deep brown eyes and handso nose, a square, stubbornjaw, a sensual lower and narrower upper lip
Fitted together it all was an attractive package Very attractive
Her fingers slid from his shoulder to his upper arthe to nificent expansewas allhis and not padding Nay, it was all his She pulled away, and her gazedropped downover his flat stoht breeches he wore, without those silly frillyribbons, she notedwith relief, and she peeredat his strong, well-shapedthighs with interest
Daniel was as stiff as aautomatically in the dance as the rest ofhiazeback to his face, he eyed her warilyand waited
"My lord, you are a fine speci, and nodoubt you could supply thebabe Ineed to inherit rimace - "ourcharacters are simply too similar tomake such an option a success"
"What? " He stared at her withamazement, and she rolled her eyes
"I a-willed than the average ladyI am not in the leastbit interested in a husband I wouldnot even ever etaith it
But I havebeen forcedto do so by my father’swill Theman I choose to husband me will notrule meInfact, Ishall probably rule hiht, Iwould not like it, " he snapped "What on earth to allow you to rule thehousehold? It simply isnot doneNo man worth his salt - "
"Ido not wishto marry amanworth his salt I wish to marry a man ill allowme tolead my life asI havedone since I was nineteen"
"You would never respect auedwith afrown
"Ido not need torespect him, just tomarry hiriain I could do without thinkingabout fora bit, if youdonot lanced around "Oh, look Megand Henry have ed to escape yourwould-bebrides Takeme back tothem, please"
It cameout as more an order than arequest, and shecouldtell Danielwas about to balk at it when he noticed the trickle of sweatslidingdown herface That tookhim aback"Aye Mayhap we should stop You appearto be overwarm"
His words made her dab at the sweat selfconsciously He releasedher hand and tookher ar
"You did pretty well out there, Ca - girl, " Henry corrected hilance in Daniel’sdirection
"AyeBut you should havestoppedsooner, " Meg saidwith a frown"You are overwarm and" She paused midsentence as she reachedout with her hanky to dab atValoree’s cheek, just as Valoreeturnedto give alance to Daniel
"Idid try to stop Several times, " she announced peevishly
"But Lord Thurbornewas notwilling to let y froaze locked on her face Frowning, she glanced backtowardMegandHenry questioningly, only to see the uncohorror, Valoreeglancedfromone person totheother "What isit? "
"Your face, "Henry said in dis had meantto daband felt that her movement had turned the dab into abrush that had removed aportionof her makeup The bare skin underneath felt oddly lu her hand away and peeringatthespot"Is your face itchy? "
"Itchy? " Valoree htIt has been nearly driving peeredat herwith concern "Well, whydid you not saysolanced toward Henry, whose expression showed coret She hadn’t said anything because a captain should notco as necessary, thentend to it when the opportunity arose
"Never nedly "What dowe doaboutit? "
"Do? " Meg peered at hi tothe etit off heras quickly as possible"
Henry’sshoulders slumped atthat, and Valoree could readthe disappointain
And it had been a flop Again She hadonlydanced, or talked even, with one man Nonetheless, he nodded solemnly "We leavethen"
"Nay Not just yet, " Valoree said suddenly She turned to Daniel, her even as she spoke "Who is the biggestgossip of the ton? "
Daniel peered at her in surprise and confusion, then said slowly, "That would be Lady Denholht? "Valoree asked hurriedly
Daniel hesitated before nodding "I believe she is"