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The ladies tittered with laughter

Bel ta in her breast Charity She was living for charity now, and Lady Violet needed a great deal of it "To be sure, I can offer you tea" She turned to address the rooo in to breakfast?"

As the ladies filed down the corridor, someone clutched at Bel’s elbow She wheeled about

"Sophia! Oh, I’lad you’ve arrived" She wrapped her sister in a warusta’s in Surrey, of course, and I’"

"Certainly I caons alone?" Sophia’s blue eyes twinkled "But before I forget," she whispered, "I have a gift for you" She placed a se in Bel’s hands, wrapped in brown paper and knotted with twine "It’s a book," she explained in a low voice "But don’t open it now"

"Not the book The one Lucy kept hinting about?"

"Yes Well, not that exact volume I had to send a manservant to locate a fresh copy" The corner of her riht to have it These things are retful look, Bel pushed the parcel back at her "I don’t kno to tell you this…

but I’ve already seen it Your copy, I mean"

Sophia clapped a hand over her burst of laughter "You didn’t"

"It was by accident, I assure you I was looking for a sleeping draught and--" Bel nudged her sister down the corridor, where they could speak without drawing notice "I scarcely looked at the pictures, I promise Once I realized … what I realized, I quickly put it away But truly, I read enough to know I’ the rest You can take it back"

"You didn’t read all of it?"

"Heavens, no" Bel pressed the package toward Sophia again, but her sister would not take it

"Then you absolutely must have this one"

Bel shook her head "I don’t want it Come now, The Memoirs of a Wanton Dairymaid? It’s ridiculous"

"Precisely," Sophia said "It’s a ridiculous book, filled icked fantasies and silly notions and iht to read the rest, just the sa"

Too disheartened to argue further, Bel accepted the book and laid it on a side table With a weak s will end unhappily indeed if I keep er"

Cruar, iced cakes, jahed down the sideboard in the breakfast roo this halacéed apricot froed pyramid When the tower of fruit refused to topple, Bel heaved a sigh of relief

"Iinto a cruo, I’ve never seen its like A ladies’ breakfast party with requisiteattire, rife with potential for scandal and innuendo? Remarkable"

"Are they really here for the potential of scandal and innuendo?"

"They’re not here for chi, I’ll tell you that much"

Bel wilted in her chair With Toby away and in ht surely Mr Hollyhurst’s last caricature would have faded from publicover her rakish husband, they ought to have known it would not happen today It would not happen, ever again

"But they are here," Sophia continued, "and you’ll see, good will come of it Sometimes a little scandal is just what you need"

"Yes, Toby once told s, so very few of thee called, her ets this icing so creamy, so perfectly white Is it a special recipe?"

"Oh, it’s sweetened with love," Lady Violet said sredient This is a honeymoon house, you know"

"No," Bel blurted out She bit her lip "I mean, it isn’t the recipe It’s the superior quality of the sugar We use only thecompany It’s farmed on Tortola, on a freedmen’s cooperative" She perked with inspiration "If you like, I can give you a list of the eanother bite of cake "This is divine"