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"Oh? What’s that?"

"It makes me free to say this Go to hell"

Bra and hurried down the same path Susanna had taken when she’d fled the room As he reached the end of the corridor, an open door to the gardens beckoned Picking up speed, Brah it

And nearly collided with a stunned Minerva Highwood

"Hold the cudgel," he said, raising his hands "Did Susanna colance over her shoulder "I don’t--"

"Thank you" Bram didn’t wait for the rest of her reply He silance--a slate-paved pathway that disappeared around a tall, lih a distant arch

"Susanna!"

She paused, but didn’t stop She entered a square, ornate garden bounded by hedges on all sides and a trellis in each corner Braate behind him

She heard the latch click and wheeled, knowing herself to be penned Her eyes ith fear and disbelief Of course she was terrified Her beloved father--her only parent and protector for so many years--had just revealed hi jackass

"Listen," he said, raising his hands in peace "Susanna, love I kno upset you ht now"

"You have no idea" She shook her head "No idea" Her hands balled into fists, and she pressed theet loose

"Will it help to hit so her, he dropped his arms to his sides "Go ahead, love Do your worst"

No sooner had the words passed his lips than her fistinto his side like a mallet A mallet with a knobby little row of knuckles The blow came before he’d had the chance to prepare, to tense his"For God’s sake, Susanna"

"You asked for it," she cried defensively, nursing her punching hand close to her breast and rubbing her knuckles "You told htened, blowing away the pain with a deep exhalation "It’s justyour worst orse than I was anticipating"

"You should know by now, I’ht on a wild sob She pulled back for another blow

This ti her fist in his own "Hold a " She kicked hiood shin, fortunately "You’ve ruined everything I’m furious with you"

"With usting way Sir Lewis had just treated her in the hall, she was angry with hiave me your word You promised you wouldn’t involvehireed to deh I put him in uniform"

"But don’t you see how this is so much worse?"

"No I don’t see that at all" He put his hands on her shoulders and tried to soothe her with a brisk caress "Susanna, I never ardless of how I feel about your father right nowEven I have to admit, his cannon is a brilliant idea It should be made known"

"The cannon is a brilliant idea But in practice, it doesn’t work Do you kno many prototypes he’s tried? How many near-disasters we’ve evaded? The last one blew up, Bram Practically in his face He suffered a mild heart attack, remained abed for weeks He pros to colleagues for testing instead" She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth "He promised me"

"Well, he broke his word To us both" He cast a pointed glance at his breast pocket, where he’d stuffed the envelope "He could have given o, don’t you see? But he decided to useso hard to plan has nothing to do with the Duke of Tunbridge or defending the cove, and everything to do with your father’s taste for glory It’s all a bit of gold braid and red-coated flash to set off the jewel that is his new cannon He’s e For the sake of his pride, he’s put all your work, all your friends at risk"

She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her hands over her ears "Stop! Stop talking I don’t want to hear any er wasn’t truly for him The betrayal and devastation she felt were all to do with her father That familiar, awful sense of helplessness descended on Bra he could do to alter the past He couldn’t mend this for her

But he could be here, with her He could listen, and hold her tight

So he did Bram wrapped her in his arms and clutched her close to his chest She put her head on his shoulder and wept He held her like that for severalher the war hers

When at length she raised her head and drew a deep, shaky breath, he led her to one of the corner arbors "Come, let’s sit down"