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"As long as we are being honest," she continued, her gaze sliding to the side, "I have to admit that I find you attractive, too Not that it should be surprising Again, I seem to be in the fe his way down the escape hatch she’d opened "We’ve established that we are two attractive people"

She nodded

"And that each of us, logically, finds the other attractive"

"As is only natural" She stacked her arainst thelad we’ve had this discussion, aren’t you?"

Julian was stunned silent for aher, and she confessed to harboring a few innocent fancies of her own, and then they just … moved on from the topic entirely? Could it really be so simple? She wouldn’t think so, if she could have seen hilimpse of her breasts just now

"Er … yes," he finally said "I’ht me?" Her brorinkled as she studied the canvas-covered doift Every dried-up spinster should have one" With a flourish, he removed the canvas drape

"You didn’t" Her eyes ide "Oh, Julian"

"Oh, Julian," the parrot sang, bobbing its cri?" Lily asked "What does he say?"

"He see to my name Or at least your pronunciation of it"

"Oh, Julian," the garish creature sang, rustling its blue-and-green wings "Oh, Juuuulian"

Oh, lovely What an idea this had been

He reached into his coat and retrieved a packet of shelled walnuts "Here," he said, pushing the packet at Lily "He’s likely hungry"

She shook some of the nuts into her pal it to the parrot through a gap in the bars She laughed as the bird swiveled its head nearly upside down to grasp the nut in its dark, hooked beak "Wherever did you get him?"

"I lost a bet"

"Lost a bet?"

"Yes This fellow’s ancient, been passed around for years He’s long outlived his original owner A barrister supposedly brought hio"

The parrot bristled "Guilty, guilty!" it trilled Its round, red head tilted, then righted itself "Thank you, that will be all"

"What does he say now?" Lily asked, offering the creature another walnut

"He’s pronounced judg No death sentence as yet"

Clever bird Truthfully, Julian had felt sorry for the poor feathered beast It had been passed froentleets the bird No one see to understand why The parrot’s vocal antics would be aravation

"You don’t have to keep hiht him by because … Well, I felt I owed you so in flowers thisin flowers? What do youroo in here allI told Swift I wasn’t at horin stretched his cheeks Oh, he was going to enjoy this He rose, lifted the parrot’s cage in one hand and offered the other to Lily "Co rooe, even the bird gave a whistle of ad rooe one Near palatial, really And today it was full to bursting with grandiose flower arrangements Roses, orchids, delphiniu all of these, lilies Lilies of every possible variety, covering every available surface and filling every niche

"Between the parrot and the flowers, it’s a veritable jungle," Lily said She turned to regard the bird hopping h he’s hoe on the floor and opening the door The bird didn’tthe reluctant bird "Couilty!" the agitated parrot squawked "Thank you, that will be all!"

"Perhaps he’s ti Lily to her feet

"Perhaps We’ll give hi the exotic flora A laugh bubbled froination, do they?"

"Perhaps not But they do have unquestionably good taste" Julian reached for a salver heaped with calling cards and hand-delivered notes

She sifted through the correspondence "I can’t iot around so quickly"

"Can’t you?"

Julian kneord had got around so quickly He’d spread it After leaving Morland House last night, he’d taken those lieutenants to every gentle hall, and opera house in London, all the while leading them in a voluble discourse on the inexhaustible topic of Lady Lily Chatwick Her beauty, elegance, virtue, good humor, and, most important of all, sudden availability "It’s just as I said The gentle over one another to court you"

"I’m not sure they’re truly interested in that After so much time out of circulation, I suspect I’m more of a curiosity at this point"