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She clapped and he felt so proud that he was grinning like a ree with you!" she cried

"It’s just because of some advice fro a story, rather than actually parsing out the arguments And then you pointed out that it would be better to be clear and siain

"What?"

"It’s your--your thing," she said, covering up her mouth, "when you don’t have it trapped in your breeches, it’s so hopelessly odd-looking, Fletch! You have to forgive hter

Fletch looked down and there it was, proudly tenting the front of the blasted nightshirt Well, he couldn’t expect any different Poppy was drowned in acres of fabric, but her hair was curling in adorable ringlets, and she was the prettiest, sweetest, hed

"It’s a"I shouldn’t laugh After all, you never laugh at my breasts, do you?"

"Never," he said with absolute truth

"And yet they’re just as odd in their oay I mean, if I ever have children they’ll leak milk and even now they bobble all around, and once in a while they actually fall out of my dress"

"Very odd," Fletch said "Odd Very odd" And then because he couldn’t think of another thing to say that didn’t involve close contact with those breasts, he suggested they go to sleep

So he snuffed the candle and clio; to Fletch’s regret it see This storm wouldn’t keep the on his back, staring up into the darkness of the rafters when a small hand crept into his "I’m so happy that you came to Oxford with me," Poppy whispered

He was too But he was afraid to tell her why in case he ruined it all

"You’re hly "I’ll always look out for you, Poppy"

"Thank you," she whispered back

He thought she sounded a little disappointed, but

Chapter 39

It was only as Charlotte climbed out of the hackney the next day that she realized that she’d forgotten to put her Bible in her bag Not that it really ht her visits were scandalous) that she was succoring the dying by reading biblical passages

"He’s worried his immortal soul is lost," she had explained

May dithered, torn between distrust and an innate wish to help "I just wish there was so," she had said over and over, wringing her hands "Why must you be the one to read aloud the Bible?"

"No one will think anything of it, if they learn of it"

"They certainly will!"

"Not if he dies," Charlotte had said