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"Yes" A tear rolled down her cheek

May gave her a sharp glance "You have to put Villiers out of your mind, Lottie" May only called her by her childhood nicknareatest distress "I know it’s difficult, but life is like that Here! Here’s so that will help" With all the éclat of a conjurer with a rabbit, she pulled a franked letter froht that the Duke of Villiers’s letter was from Beaumont?"

"Beau

"No, the duchess did! Perhaps she’s having another dinner!"

Charlotte tore open the sheet "She’s invited me to her estate for a Christasped "Christins just before the twenty-fifth"

"It isn’t clear that the Parliament will adjourn until the last ht you wanted me to stay away from the duke"

"A house party is different"

"How so?"

May bit her lip "It’s what you said"

"Beaumont isn’t attracted to me?"

"And this proves it, don’t you see? The letter is from the duchess She would never invite you if the reverse were true"

"I did tell you so," Charlotte said wearily

"You o" May ca to die soon, isn’t he?"

Charlotte nodded miserably

"Go," May said "Go"

Chapter 40

Poppy ca as odd as a shorn sheep and without ahair cutter she’d heard talk of, Monsieur Olivier

A day later Poppy looked as pretty as a peach, with soft, short curls around a bandeau "You’ll set a new style," Je as I don’t have to wear that horrid powder any sensitive to powder and co out in red blotches," Jemma said "Villiers never touches it"

"I shall be judged horribly unfashionable, but it doesn’t matter," Poppy said "I’m married"

"True," Jeh I never considered dress to be relevant to marital status"

"I’ve always dressed with the wish to impress Fletch"

"I dress forgown But if I do dress, I "

"I never feel ravishing"

"You are ravishing, so why ignore the evidence? Here" She handed over a piece of foolscap "What do you think of my house party? These are the people who’ve accepteda plan of battle for the estate butler It’s all very annoying that I’ve neveron unfa the list "How many people did you invite?"