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Surely there was someone else who felt as she did, soo to Christian if she could, but from his reaction at the Lord Walker duel, he would not have sys as a wife Lucy straightened A wife Sir Rupert was married If she could win his wife to her side, perhaps between the two of them they could stop--

"Aunt Lucy," Pocket cried, "won’t you coood"

Lucy blinked and focused on the little girl tugging at her hand "I’o see a lady"

Chapter Seventeen

Simon snipped off a dead leaf from a Rosa mundi Around him the smells of the conservatory floated in the humid air--rotted leaves, earth, and the faint scent of mildew But the perfume of the rose in front of him overpowered them all She had four bloo into the crimson on her petals Rosa mundi was an old rose but a favorite nonetheless

The leaf he’d snipped fell to the white-painted table, and he picked it up and threw it in a bucket Sootten by the horticulturist, would infect the healthy plants as well He made it a habit to clean up as he went Even the sht later prove the doom of an entire table of plants

He moved to the next rose, a Centifolia reen with health, its perfuly sweet The petals in her flowers spilled over thereen sepals at their center If roses omen, the moss rose would be a tart

Sir Rupert was a leftover Or perhaps the last of a series of labors Whichever way one looked at it, he had to be dealt with Clipped and cleaned up Simon owed it to Ethan to finish the job And to Lucy, to make sure she was safe from his past and his ene away fro the next rose, a York and Lancaster, which bore both pink and white flowers on the sa a , pure and simple The olderShe would probably leave hi issuing another challenge He didn’t want to lose her Couldn’t iers shook at even the thought

Four dead, wasn’t that enough? Is it enough, Ethan?

He turned over a healthy-looking leaf on the York and Lancaster and found a swar the life from the plant

The door to the conservatory crashed open

"Sir, you’re not allowed--" Newton’s voice, outraged and fearful, admonished the intruder

Simon turned to confront whoever disturbed his peace

Christian charged down the aisle, his face pale and set

Newton dithered "Mr Fletcher, please--"

"That’s all right--" Simon started

Christian punched hiainst the table, his vision blurred What?

Pots crashed to the floor, the shards skittering in the ay He straightened and brought his fists up to defend himself as his eyes cleared, but the other

"What the bloody hell," Sian

"Duel me," Christian spat

"What?" Sian to throb with pain He noticed that the moss rose was in pieces on the floor, two of the main stems broken Christian’s boot crushed a bloo froy

Newton hurried out of the rooht fist in threat "Do I have to hit you again?" His expression ithout humor, his eyes wide and dry

"I wish you wouldn’t" Si his jaw He couldn’t talk if it was broken, could he? "Why would I want to duel you?"

"You don’t You want to duelis bad He can hardly walk Even you h a cripple"

"Your father killed my brother" Simon let his hand fall

"So you have to duel him" Christian nodded "I know I’ve seen you kill two men now, remember? I’ve watched you enact your sense of fah you refuse to use that word--over the last feeeks Do you really expect any less froate"

Sihed "I don’t--"

Christian hit hiain

Simon fell on his arse "Shit! Stop that" He reenhouse Pain bloomed across his cheekbone Now the entire left side of his face felt on fire

"I’ll keep doing it," the younger er twoI’ve learned well"

"For God’s--"

"Your mother was a dockside whore, your father a bastard!" Christian shouted, red-faced

"Christ" Was the boy ht is with your father, not you"

"I’ll seduce your wife--"

Lucy! a primitive part of his brain screaame "I don’t want to duel you"

"And if she won’t submit, I’ll kidnap and rape her I’ll--"