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"How on earth did you learn to dance?" she said

"Sailors dance," Dautry said "Besides, believe it or not, Miss Tatlock, there is civilization outside the ballrooms of the ton"

She who had been so snappy and witty with Villiers couldn’t think of anything to say at the ic curtain had evaporated and she had returned to being a lu with a flamboyantly masculine

"So are you going to marry him?" he asked abruptly

"What?"

"Are you going to marry Villiers? And don’t"--he added--"think that I a the title My father leftfortune I could buy half London and sell it again, if I wished"

"Naturally, you an

He pulled her off the ballroom floor and into a small curtained alcove, and with no finesse about it either

Suddenly she felt herself a little breathless "Are you going to marry him?" he demanded

Her mouth opened but no words came out

He bent his head His : it demanded and took, asked a question she wasn’t ready to answer

So she--old maid Charlotte--stepped away from him and put her hands on her hips "I’m not sure yet," she told him

He looked a little dazed At least she wasn’t alone feeling that wild heat when they kissed "You’re not sure of what?"

"I’m not sure who I shall marry"

"Has a choice been offered?"

She grinned, knowing that her sister May wouldn’t even have recognized her She was the Queen of Sheba to night, a wo me with a breach of promise suit if I don’t marry him"

Dautry snorted

"And I love hihtened

She danced one step closer to him "But then there’s you"

"I didn’t ask you to marry me"

The idiot

"I suppose that only leavesme Your Grace"

His eyes were fierce, but softened when he looked to the bottom of her soul, and saoman anted to stand before the wind and feel salt on her lips

"Charlotte," he said

She raised her chin "I’ll decide next week Between your proposal and his Because you did otten to say it out loud; I have noticed a certain reticence in your nature"

There was a spark of laughter in those black eyes of his A spark of laughter--and so that made her feel a bit weak behind the knees, and as if there wasn’t enough air in the roo her again

"I’ man you hired," Poppy repeated "Where did you find hi man?"