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Elizabeth gasped and then stopped breathing altogether No man had ever touched her so, and she was probably the worst sort of harlot for thinking so, but there was so almost hypnotic about the warmth of his hand

"Don't you think?" he whispered

Elizabeth swayed toward him for the barest of seconds, and then she heard Mrs Seeton--who, by the way, sounded remarkably like Susan--in her head

"If you end the conversation," Susan's voice whispered, "he will fantasize over what you ht have said next"

And then Elizabeth, who had never felt the heady bliss

of knowing a man was interested, forced the iron back into her spine for the second ti and said with reo, Mr Siddons"

He shook his head slowly, never taking his eyes off of her face "What are your interests, Miss Hotchkiss?'' he asked "Your hobbies? Your pursuits? You strikelady"

Oh, he was definitely bah to form an opinion on her intellect Her eyes narrowed He wanted to know about her pursuits, did he? Well, then, she'd tell him

"What I really like to do," she said ide, bright eyes, "is work in arden?" he choked

"Oh, yes Our primary crop this year is turnips Lots of turnips Do you like turnips?"

"Turnips?" he echoed

She nodded emphatically "Turnips Some find the tuber you'll never find"

Ja for aabout?

"Have you ever grown turnips?''

"Ahno, I haven't"

"That's a pity," she said with great feeling "One can learn quite a lot about life from a turnip"

James's head fell a little forward in disbelief This he had to hear "Really? And what, pray tell, can one learn?"

"Uh"

He knew it She was ba hi?''

"Diligence!" she blurted out "One can learn a great deal about diligence"

"Really? How is that?"

She sighed dramatically "Mr Siddons, if you have to ask, then I' to digest that statement, she chirped, "Oh, look, here we are back at Danbury House Please tell Lady Danbury that I will be in the rose garden should she need me"

And then, without so much as a farewell, she ran off