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The girl winced "Do they hurt?"

"No" Her own sht her by surprise "Not at all I know they look iet about them for whole days at a stretch"

As she spoke the words, she hter she felt for saying them Her affair with Bram was over, it seemed He hadn’t spoken to her in days There’d been no further notes Still, she would be forever changed by what they’d shared Changed by hie to accept herself as she was Scars, freckles, passions, and all

In time, did a broken heart scar over? After a decade or so had passed, would she be able to forget about Bram for whole days at a stretch?

Somehow she doubted it

"Miss Finch!" Violet Winterbottoht needs you in the hall She wants your opinion on the decorations"

"I’ll be there presently"

Susanna handed the cartridge- her hands at the washbasin and leaving the breakfast rooh the drawing room, where the militia volunteers stood like a field of scarecrows, ar ladies flitted and circled,final alterations to their uniforms

When Susanna reached the hall, she found it si, narrow roo the bay of plate-glass s, Mr Fosbury and two foot tables for the buffet Ladies and servants bearing flowers and furniture hurried this way and that, their footfalls clattering over the wood inlay floor By toance--she hoped But for the ht said, thrusting a wriggling baby into Susanna’s arms "Take Daisy while I clis"

Susanna waited patiently in the center of the rooht sibling in time to Kate’s rapid scales on the pianoforte Daisy had pluan to feel her arms would fall off

"She loves you, Miss Finch!" Sally called, draping swags of fabric over the banister "Now, this is the red It’s striking, but maybe it will be too much, with all the uniforms in the room? And then we have this blue, but it’s a touch dark for an evening affair Which do you think best?"

Susanna tilted her head, considering

"I agree wholeheartedly, Miss Finch," Mr Keane called down, appearing next to Sally on the balcony "Neither will do We need soold"

"I told you, vicar," Sally said "We don’t have enough of the gold"

"You’re right Unless" The vicar snapped his fingers "I know We’ll combine it with the tulle"

"The tulle!" Sally exclaimed "That’s divine inspiration, that is Just hold a moment, Miss Finch We’ll show you what he e in their boxes of supplies

Susanna sighed, shifting Daisy fro for you all over" Braled the infant in her arreen, she hadn’t seen him for the better part of three days And of course, he would show up so dangerously attractive, wearing only an open-collared homespun shirt under his brand-new officer’s coat She tried not to look at hi direct eye contact was the best she could le of his jaw, the sensual set of his lips Then dropped to the exposed wedge of his bare chest, and the dark hair curling there

Was he trying to torture her?

"What, pray tell, are these?" He displayed his newly he out the brass buttons studded there

"Oh, those" She bit back a s Every proper militia needs a symbol"

"Yes, but proper militias don’t choose a lamb"

"As I recall it, the lamb chose you"

His thumbnail traced the motto--a tiny crescent of Latin "Aries eos incitabit A sheep shall urge them onward?"

"Be careful, "

His mouth softened into that subtle hint of a smile she’d come to love "Buttons aside, you’ve done a remarkable job You and all the ladies The uniforlanced around the room "All these preparations"

His approval warmed her inside "We’ve all worked hard I happened to see part of drill the other day Very impressive, my lord Tomorroill doubtless be a splendid triureeen thele

"Who is this?" He nodded at the squir infant in her arms "I don’t believe we’ve been introduced"

"This"--she swiveled to give hiuessed it from the hair"

The towheaded babe stretched a chubby hand toward Bra buttons on his coat Susanna yearned to reach for him, too On iue, she thrust the child at him "Here Why don’t you hold her?"

"Me? Wait I don’t--"

But she left hi little Daisy in the crook of his arave it a yank