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Finally, unable to do otherwise, she looked to Julian for an explanation

He said, "My God You’re pregnant"

What? Her mind rattled in her skull, shaken by the utter impossibility of that stateible proof of his virility pressed against the general vicinity of her womb … But no man was so potent as that

Then she realized Julian wasn’t speaking to her

Lily turned, pressing a hand to her chest In the corner of the roo fronant," Julian repeated, irl

Claudia placed a hand on her belly "So the doctors tell me"

He turned to Lily "Did you know about this?"

She shook her head "They’ve kept it very quiet I only learned of it this afternoon Claudia’s condition, Iin the draperies" She turned to the girl "I thought you were to remain upstairs"

"I was," she said, biting her lip "I was supposed to stay upstairs I only wanted a look in at the party"

And at the naval officers, Lily i if not curious about handso men

"Then you came in," she went on, "and so I hid I meant to simply wait until you left the room, but …" Her cheeks colored "Eventually, it seemed better to reveal my presence than conceal it"

Claudia cast a wary look at Julian, causing Lily to wonder if the girl believed herself to be protecting Lily with her interruption It would have been almost sweet of her, if it weren’t so wholly unnecessary Not to mention unwanted She looked to Julian, but he was studiously avoiding her gaze, frowning at the carpet instead She doubted his frustration was old No, he was angry with hiretted what had just occurred between them Or rather, what had almost occurred

"You’d best slip upstairs now," Lily proirl

Claudia nodded and turned to leave "Please," she said, pausing on her way to the door "Don’t tell the duke I was downstairs And kindly don’t tell anyone about …" Her hand circled her belly "… this I proht the girl by the elbow "Nothing happened here"

"Exactly" Claudia s froood at keeping secrets"

The girl left the room, and Julian flopped into an armchair and buried his face in his hands With that disappeared Lily’s last bit of hope that they ht resume where they’d left off

He dropped his hands "God only knohat that child thinks she saw"

"What did she see?" Lily wasn’t certain herself "Julian, can we--"

He shot to his feet "I have to leave There are places I need to be"

"No" She o I won’t sleep at all, if I know you’re out wandering the streets alone"

"You shouldn’t lose sleep over me"

"I can’t help it" She couldn’t help but lie awake at night and wonder where he was Because she wanted him there, in bed with her How could she not have understood it before now?

As she neared his side, she could actually see his breath come faster, in the accelerated rise and fall of his chest If she laid a hand to that spot just beneath his cravat, slid her fingers under the edge of his waistcoat … she sensed she’d feel his heart pounding every bit as fiercely as hers But there the similarities would end She would find hard muscles there, and the masculine heat of his skin Did he have hair on his chest, she wondered? How strange, to think that she didn’t know Of course, she’d always known he was aone, at that But she’d heretofore focused on their commonalities, their affinity

Now she looked at Julian and saw … otherness Differences New contrasts to explore With each passing rew exponentially aware of the essential, pri beneath those fine clothes and flip expressions And her own essential wo her flesh to a feverish pink in all the obvious places--and a few surprising ones, as well Lips, breasts, nificance of these But what the backs of her knees had to do with anything, she could not possibly have guessed

She reached for hiht help her understand "Julian …"

He intercepted her touch, grasping her fingers in his and pressing them briefly--chastely--to his lips

"We’ll belate I’ll speak with Morland He’ll see you hoht, I was an ass to the lieutenants earlier I’ll make it up to them, take them round to the clubs and such" In an apparent effort to collect hied down the front of his waistcoat and ran both hands through his tousled black hair "No boxing or bull-baiting, I proed in her chest, but Lily didn’t kno to argue Hadn’t this been her ai this party? To push Julian back into the social life he’d once loved--the clubs, the theater, the company of friends? She should count this a tremendous success

Except there were still sothrough her blood Julian wanted so more than friendship, he’d said What more did he want, precisely? Her body? Her affection?