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"Do you kno rare such a thing is?" he asked quietly "That peculiar sort of h

"Yes" She had half turned, her arh the French doors, over the burgeoning spread of the spring flower beds below

"The thing is--I think I had it," she said, even more quietly "For a little while A very little while" She turned her head and looked at hih her

"If I’ve lost it--then I have I can live with that--or without it But I won’t live with an imitation of it I couldn’t stand that"

"It looks like you et me by default" Brianna put the breakfast tray over his lap and collapsed heavily into the love seat, roan

"Don’t riddle with a sickup a piece of toast "What do youhe sao riders coh Campbell’s fields He said he was sure one of the man with red hair; God knows there aren’t that many like hi over her "So, two riders?"

"It er Or they did, and he--didn’t want to coer "Good thing I have a fallback, isn’t it?"

Lord John blinked, and made haste to s his mouthful of toast

"If by that extraordinary metaphor, you mean that you intend to ave hiood" He took a gulp of tea, closing his eyes to enjoy the fragrant steao with the’s happened to Ian"

"It ht be that they experienced any variety of disasters on the journey, which obliged your cousin and your mother to travel behind your father and Mr MacKenzie Or your cousin and MacKenzie behind your parents" He waved a hand, indicating innuht" She still looked peaked, and Lord John suspected she had cause Co possibilities were all very well for the short term, but the colder probabilities were inclined to triuer course--and whoever acco shortly, with the answers to all questions

He pushed back the unfinished breakfast and leaned back against his pillows

"Tell otten me killed?"

She colored and looked uncomfortable

"What do youyou do not wish to, will your sense of guilt and obligation compel you to do it nonetheless?"

"Oh, ive your father Whatever has happened"

Pregnancy had made her complexion more delicate; all her emotions ebbed and flowed just under the surface of that apricot skin A touch would bruise her

He reached out and laid a hand very gently along her cheek

"For your sake, as well as his," he said

"I already have" Her lashes covered her eyes as she looked down; her hands lay still in her lap, the blue fire of his sapphire glowing on her finger

The sound of hooves caravel drive

"Then I think you had better go down and tell him so, my dear"

She pursed her lips, and nodded Without a word, she stood up and floated out the door, disappearing like a storm cloud over the horizon

"When we heard that there were two riders co had happened to your nephew, or MacKenzie So had happened to you"

"I’ alternately into his eyes "Didn’t you know?" The pressure of her thu her touch

"You have a slight enlargeers and squeeze as hard as you can" She held out her index fingers and he obliged, annoyed to feel the weakness of his grip

"Did you find MacKenzie?" He was further annoyed not to be able to control his curiosity

She gave hilance froaze to his hands

"Yes He’ll be coht the tone of his question and hesitated, then looked at hi," he said, and had theher startled Then one side of her h," he ah to ask whether your statee on your part or wishful thinking"

"Call it faith" Without so s of his nightshirt and spread it open, exposing his chest Rolling a sheet of parchment deftly into a tube, she applied one end of it to his breast, putting her ear to the other end

"I beg your pardon,s motions with one hand She proceeded tonow and then to thump experimentally or prod him in the liver

"Have youhim familiarly in the abdohtshirt back together with dignity

She looked eous even than usual The woe than a fine webbing of lines at the corners of her eyes, and threadings of silver in that ridiculous h it was hard to judge of her figure, dressed as she was in a barbaric leather shirt and trouserings She’d plainly been in the sun and weather for some time; her face and hands had baked a delicate soft brown, thatwhen they turned full on one--which they now did

"Brianna says that Dr Fentiman trephined your skull"

He shifted uncomfortably under the sheets