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"I' Elizabeth right to her very toes "No," he said, "don't be pessi that?" she asked Heavens above, what could this or any handso in such a book? If one wanted to put the plainest face possible on it, it was a treatise for desperate women And didn't men tend to equate desperate woue?

"Call it my insatiable curiosity," he replied "How could I resist, after being forced to go to such heroic lengths to retrieve the book earlier this ths?" she exclaimed "You yanked it out from under me!"

"The word 'heroic' is always open to interpretation," he said blithely, flashing her yet another of those dangerously masculine smiles

Elizabeth closed her eyes and let out a weary and bewildered sigh This had to be the strangest conversation of her life, and yet somehow it seemed quite natural

The most bizarre part was that she didn't really feel embarrassed Oh, certainly her cheeks were a bit pink, and she couldn't quite believe sohts, she should have perished of acute mortification by now

It was Ja about hi laugh He ht mysterious side to him, and sometimes he did look at her in an oddly hot sort of way that made the air positively thick, but other than that it was nearly impossible to feel unco about?" she heard hi that I cannot remember the last time I felt so ridiculous"

"Don't be silly"

"So shake of her head, "I just can't help it"

He ignored her co it with little flips of his wrist "This has problems"

"HOW TO MARRY A MARQUIS?"

"Many probleiously difficult to live up to her edicts"

Jaan to pace back and forth, his warht "It is obvious to me," he announced, "that Mrs Seeton--if that is indeed her real na up her edicts"

Elizabeth found this so interesting she sat down