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"You’d better hope I don’t decide to play Judith I’ shears at the moment, and I’d advise you to be still I need to concentrate" Setting the scissors aside for a moment, she pulled back her own locks and wound the his hair, and they both went quiet

And as she worked, the quiet deepened, grew profound The task was so intimate In order to cut his hair evenly, she had to sift her fingers through the heavy locks, lifting and angling them for the shears She touched his ear, his teloves?" he asked

"No" At theher sane

A palpable, sensual tension had thickened the air surrounding the in and out Her fingers faltered for a moment, and she scraped his ear with one blade of the shears She was horrified, but he seemed to take no notice Only the tiniest drop of blood welled at the site, but it took all she had not to press her lips to the wound

After a few more snips, she laid the shears aside To test the cut’s evenness, she raised both hands to his hair and dragged her gloved fingertips over his scalp, slowly raking theers entle sweep, he inated not in his throat, but deep in his chest, so sound was h It was a confession, a plea With a siertips, she’d called forth an expression of deep, hidden yearning Her whole body ached with an instinctive response

Oh goodness Oh, Bram

"Turn around," she whispered

When he obeyed, his eyes were closed

Hers were open Open to a whole new , brutish soldier-turned- vulnerable and lost, in need of care Her care

All his staunch denials of ehly he’d just betrayed theht of those passionate kisses yesterday How he used every excuse to touch her, in every interaction Heavens, the way he’d taken her h she could still feel the deliberate sweep of his thu to rattle her

But now she saw his motives clear Here it was, his secret No childhood traues of war Just a deep, unspoken desire for closeness Oh, he’d rather die than ad sound told all

That was the sound a great shaggy beast made when the nettle in his paas plucked

Here was a man who needed touch, craved tenderness--and he was starved for theive? She teased her fingers through the clipped fringe at his tele gloved fingertip skih" His eyes snapped open, cool and defiant

Wounded by his sharp tone, she withdrew her touch

"Well, Miss Finch" Stepping back, he ran a hand over his dark, now short hair "Tell reen Everywhere she looked, she saly revealed, blinding-white scalp "Like a flock of yearlings, freshly shorn"

"Wrong," he said "They do not look like sheep They look like soldiers Men with a co like one, too"

Taking her by the waist, he lifted her off the table and put her back on firh, the world still felt unsteady

"Have a good look at them In a month’s time, I’ll have a militia These will become men of duty, action I’ll have shown all your prim, sheltered spinsters precisely what real men can do" The corner of his mouth quirked "Spindle Cove will be a much different place And you, Miss Finch, will thank me"

She shook her head He’d revealed too er couldn’t intie pass without a strong, confident response

She calmly brushed stray snips of hair from his lapel "In a month’s time, this community I love, and this atmosphere we’ve worked so hard to foster, will be the sa I see here today will ree you, Lord Rycliff

"And if you threaten my ladies’ health and happiness?" She laid a sweet touch to his cheek "I will bring you to your knees"

Eleven

"On Mondays, ays have country walks"

Susanna paced the Highwood sisters on the sloping footpath Together, they trailed behind the larger group The ladiesup the path

"The Downlands are beautiful this tie, you can see foron top of the world"

Thank heaven for scheduled activities After yesterday’sexciteht, Susanna was grateful for the distraction She walked with vigor and purpose, inhaling deep lungfuls of the green-scented air

"The wildflowers are lovely" Charlotte plucked a stalk of lavender-tipped raertips

Minerva tro at Susanna’s side "Miss Finch, you cannot kno much I hate to sound like ood for Diana’s health?"