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"He’s a wart," Jeo right ahead"
"One of these days," Isidore said, with only a little slur in her voice, "I’ wild"
"No doubt," Louise said briskly "When that times comes, we’ll sober you up It’s best never to be hile inebriated"
Poppy took a huge gulp of her toddy In her view, it was likely easier to be ith a little inebriation "I want to do so wild too," she said
"What?" Isidore said, peering at her "Is your husband going to India as well?"
Louise reached over and took Isidore’s cup away "You’ve had enough, darling At this rate, you’ll sleep straight through Christmas Eve and miss all the festivities"
"I’ worried "My butler tellsvery well at all I stopped up to see hiain I think he slept most of the day"
"Oh dear," Isidore said, her ht perhaps I would marry him instead of my duke, but I can only do that if he survives"
"I didn’t know you liked Villiers," Je surprised
"I hardly know him But he’s a duke I could just scratch outcertificate It seems like a fair trade for the duke I don’t really have A duke in En gland is worth two off in India"
"Which reminds me," Jemma said "So how can we help, Poppy?"
Poppy had finished her toddy and was enjoying an agreeable warmth in the pit of her stomach "Fletch says thatthem," she said "So he’s not interested inJe some of it
"I want to--to lure hi as red as I a "A ferabbed Poppy’s hand "Upstairs!"
Fletch had just decided that Je butler was the person to tell hih They were playing cards Fletch looked up to hter He put down his cards
"Yes?" Fletch asked
"I think," Beau, "that this performance is likely directed at you, not me"
Fletch rose and turned around
She alking in the door
At supper, her hair had been up above her head, in one of those hair styles that women liked, albeit without the powder She’d looked sweetly pretty Noas all different
Walking in the door was the courtesan to a prince She had curls atop her head, caught up with sparkling jewels, though a few fell to her shoulders Her eyes were lavishly lined with black and they looked twice as big and four times as powerfully blue Her lips were crioas dark cried below her breasts There was nothing but the frailest scrap of lace covering her nipples Around her neck she wore a dramatic, exquisite necklace, with a pendant that fell just between the curves of her breasts
The entire drawing room went silent as a stone
Fletch walked forward, feeling as if he should fall on his knees