Page 34 (1/2)

"I forget everything," Jeame you ever played My brain works that hen it comes to articles about sloths and French ly

"Why?"

"Unladylike," Poppy said, wrinkling her nose "I can’t help it, though I see a new book or an article on a subject that interests me and I become simply feverish to read it My e," Je feverish about a sloth, three-toed or not, is peculiar You must know that"

"I never tell anyone And you must promise to do the same"

"Why doesn’t this Oxford fellow simply embrace you and your detailed brain, then?"

"I find that scientists are not always excited to be re rather surprised "Surely accuracy is of the utmost importance when it comes to natural study, but you would be surprised, Jemma, at how inexact some people can be Dr Loudan is occasionally quite reluctant to drop an idea, even when the evidence is against him"

"I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to a naturalist There are very few of the around Paris So do you really think we could interest the inexact but Honorable George Loudan in Miss Fetlock?"

"The curious thing toMiss Tatlock froe that he would never endanger his reputation And she is a gently bred young lady Your er"

"I already saw my husband in love with another woman," Jemma said "I left for Paris because I couldn’t bear to be around hi that Beaue and reputation are not the s"

"It’s a coree with Beaumont"

Chapter 23

September 2

Charlotte didn’t knohat to make of the letter when it arrived She saw the ducal seal and snatched it froers And then she ran upstairs where May couldn’t see it

Only to find to her disappointment that the seal was that of the Villiers family, and not that of the BeaumontsOf course not The Duke of Beaumont wouldn’t write to her He would never do that He was solid, respectable, honorable…

She came back to herself with a start and stared down at the note It was obviously written by a servant, and it stated that the Duke of Villiers would like her to pay a call The Duke of Villiers?An unmarried man? How on earth could she do that? Why would he even expect that she would consider it?

And ould he want her to visit? He barely exchanged tords with her at the dinner party given by the Duchess of Beaumont, which was the only time they’d met And finally, as Benjamin, the name mentioned in the letter?

The proble She’d been on the shelf more years than she cared to count Her ent countenance, and she knew that she was honest, fairly virtuous and chaste Not that she’d ever had a chance to be less than chaste, but a virtue is still a virtue, even if untested But none of those qualities

May entered the room "Is that a letter from Beaumont?" her sister demanded

"How did you know that I received a letter?"

"The maid told me, of course," May said impatiently "I see that Mr Muddle shall indeed have to have a ith His Grace He is toying with your reputation in ayou private letters"

"Mr Muddle will have nothing to do with the Duke of Beauht of her sister’s fiancé h a conversation with the duke "You couldn’t possibly ask it of him, May!"

"Iherself up "Mother would not have permitted the visit And no one could have your welfare more at heart than my future husband, Mr Muddle!"

Charlotte hated the way that May’s voice dropped when she said the word husband And it wasn’t just jealousy either It wasn’t