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Then he set her back on her toes Pressed his brow to hers and released a deep, resonant sigh And just before turning to leave, he spoke a single word

He said, "No"

Nineteen

He did not "like" Susanna Finch Of this much, Bram was certain

"Like" wasthe verbal equivalent of blanch, blandly sweet Always on the table Not so he asked for second helpings of, either The word "like" did not communicate an unspoken connection of similar minds, or an obsessive attention to freckles It certainly didn’t encompass the sort of wild, reckless, unreasoned lust that had driven hireen

No, he did not "like" her Beyond that, Bra labels on feelings was Susanna’s hobby, not his

And at the e has excellent pen with a pencil on paper as she did "I’ll put her on invitations"

She had arrived at the castle early that ether, they’d convened their council atop the southwest turret of Rycliff Castle’s keep They’d been sitting here on ca over the brilliant aqua out all the tasks to be acco out the tasks Bra sips of whiskey, and trying to sort out the tangle of feelings and i in his chest

"Patches will be Charlotte’s task As well asrollingcartridges" She scribbled as she spoke, adding to the bottoaze stubbornly trained on the paper

His gaze was riveted to her He was fascinated Just when he’d started to think he knew Susanna Finch, the ain Every hour--every minute, perhaps--announced another facet of her beauty Each tilt of her head invented new alloys of copper and gold And now--just this second--the advancing veil of sunlight made its way over the crest of her shoulder, and he could see how the skin of her décolletage was so delicate and fairnearly translucent

And bloody hell This journeyed far beyond "like," rocketed straight past "fondness," and pushed all the way to the brink of absurdity

He knew all her objections to e around happy spinsterhood, and the demands of hiscould rief for Sir Lewis, scandal for Susanna, and God knehat for Bra to marry her, despite it Because when he looked at Susanna, all he could think was one word It wasn’t a particularly elegant or poetic word, any htforward eloquence all its own

Mine

No matter what it cost him, he simply had to " She let the list fall to her lap "It’s so much work But I think we can do it"

"I knoe can" He took the list froh and well planned as he’d known it would be He forced hi aside all his lustful desires and ht or so, these tasks required his full attention He didn’t want to let Susanna and her father down Nor the rest of the village, which he was suddenly--and unexpectedly--beginning to care about

"I think everyone’s arrived by now" She peered down over the crenellated edge of the turret Below, the asserassy, even ground of the bailey

"I suppose that h"

She smiled "I suppose it does And what an occasion the rest of your men have made it You’ve outdone yourselves"

"Hardly" But Bram had taken the picnic invitation in earnest In anticipation of their guests, his militia volunteers had set out canopies and blankets and heaped a table with refresh Pansy At least, he assu Pansy The building was returned to rights, but last he’d been in the village, no sign at all had swung above the red-painted door

"Rufus and Finn seem to have mended their differences," she observed

"They’ve learned their lesson That they’ll catch more female attention united in mischief than divided by rancor"

The twins had tied a scarf to that dratted la chase, Charlotte dashed after Dinner for the full length of the keep, only to catch her toe on a rock and sprawl to the ground

Beside hiasp She clutched Braernails bit into his flesh

"It’s all right," he told her "They’re e She’ll bounce back up"

He understood, in thatladies suffered the smallest humiliation or pain When the situation de Diana’s attack, she could be strong and collected and brave But here with him, she didn’t hide her concern She would allow him to comfort her And perhaps, soht found hi scores of wounds that weren’t his own, but those of men under his command

As they looked on, Mr Keane helped Charlotte to her feet The girl gamely brushed out her skirts Fosbury offered a consolatory teacake, and everyone watching had a good-natured laugh

"She’s unharlad for the excuse "See?"