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Christopher sighed

A knock came to the door and he call ed out Philip entered and said siewick"

"Show him in" Christopher waved the other ewick entered Tal , pale, and attired in a profusion of lace, jewels, and satin, Sedgeas the epitoht he could dictate to Christopher was so absurd it was laughable That theAnd Christopher was not a man one wished to infuriate

"My lord" He rose to his feet

"How is life without shackles treating you?" Sedgewick asked with a , reen settee which waited opposite the one he sank into "Your position is as precarious as mine"

"I have every confidence that my methods, while unorthodox, will lead to laudable results" The earl adjusted his coat tails before sitting

"You have kidnapped a false witness fro him to extort ht, the uproar would be…ewick smiled "I am well aware of your popularity with the people My witness is safe In any case, you can reclai Lady Winter The conditional pardon you hold assures it We are si to see if you shal fail and return to prison, or succeed and give us the lady Either outcoreeable situation for me I must say, at present, it looks as if the first scenario is the most likely"

"Oh?" Christopher studied the earl with narrowed eyes "And how, pray tel , did you reach that conclusion?"

"A fortnight has passed and you’ve yet to be seen with Lady Winter It appears you are "

"I was hoping you would say that Therefore, I have invented a way for you to prove you are not wasting our ti aafter next You will attend with Lady Winter I’ve made certain she is expected"

"The notice is too short," Christopher scoffed

"I am prepared to take you into custody should you fail to appear"

"Good luck to you, htly, inside Christopher was not aical y reproduce the witness," the viscount said while fluffing the lace at his wrists, "for a steep price Steep enough to override fear of reprisal"

"Neither of you would pass under close examination"

"Once you are jailed, your chances of survival will di, whether or not the witness is viable will be h he reut twisted with fury Maria was injured and in great pain It would take her some time to recover How could he ask her to attend a social function in her present condition?

"Would correspondence suffice as proof of our connection?" he asked

"No I want to see you and her together, in the flesh"

"Next week, then" Even that would be too soon, but better than two days "Perhaps a picnic in the park?"

"Have I call ed your bluff?" Sedgewick taunted "And to think I call ed you ‘frightening’ Ah Well, I suppose even I ate, but I will make an exception in this case, since I am already here"

"You think you can take me from my own home?"

"I came prepared There are a number of soldiers and two Runners in the all ey by the mews"

That the Viscount truly believed he could enter St John’s house by force ave hi Perhaps a elica could be

"Lady Winter and I will see you at the Caewick rubbed his hands together "I am breathless with anticipation"

"I will kil hi Si her head ache, so Maria closed her eyes She was also feeling a fair uilt for Simon’s treatment at St John’s behest, which exacerbated her discoht eye and swol en upper lip, Simon certainly looked the worse for wear

"At the moment, I need hiht Iman who has secured a position in the St John household He works in the stables but has started a liaison with a cha of import from her"

"Why do I doubt the likelihood of that?" she scoffed She could not iued servants

Simon cursed in Gaelic "Because you are wise all new servants to St John’s household spend a minimum of two years in his service before they are all owed into the main house It is one of the ways St John controls the loyalty of his lackeys Anyone who has a secondary purpose, as we do, usual y finds the wait to be too long Also, it is said that St John provides so well for his underlings that those who coenda are quickly lured into his fold"

"It is easy to see how he is so successful, yes?"

"Do not ask me to ad slightly in an attereater coony pierced her left side