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Elizabeth reached the bottom of the steps and unlinked her arm from Caroline's "It's a promise" Then, with a smile and a wave, she dashed away fro her guests, and it would be easier to scoot outside the house than to try to battle the croithin

"What the hell?" James followed that query with considerably darker and louder curses as he steered his horse around the crush of carriages slowly rolling toward Danbury House

The , inconvenient otten all about it

He'd planned the evening to the last detail He was going to go to his aunt, tell her that he'd failed, that he hadn't been able to flush out her blackmailer, and promise her that he would continue to try, but that he could not put his life on hold while doing so

Then he would ride out to Elizabeth's cottage and ask her tolike an idiot the entire ride hoht to take Lucas aside and ask hiht-year-old dictate his life, but so the little boy left his heart war that Elizabeth would be charesture, which was probably his trueto be able to escape Danbury House this evening, and he certainly wasn't going to be able to gain a private audience with his aunt

Frustrated with the clog of carriages, he nudged his horse off of the htly forested field that ran alongside the ht spilled through the ht his trail, so he didn't have to slon overmuch as he made his way to the stables

He took care of his horse and trudged into his little cottage, sht Elizabeth snooping there weeks earlier He still hadn't told her about that No matter; he'd have a lifetinore the sounds of the party, preferring the peace and seclusion of his tes of his eer to see Elizabeth, and hadn't stopped for soedible, so he allowed hied back outside With any luck, he could nized or waylaid by a drunken reveler

He kept his head down as he weaved through the crowds spilling out onto the lawns If he acted like a servant, Agatha's guests would see a servant and, with luck, leave him alone Lord knew, they wouldn't expect the Marquis of Riverdale to be quite so dusty and rue of the crowd, and was about halfway to his destination, when out of the corner of his eye he saw a blond shepherdess trip over a rock, wave her left arht herself by jaround

Elizabeth It had to be No other blond shepherdess could be quite so enchantingly clu the peried tack slightly and headed in her direction, his heart soaring with the knowledge that she would soon be in his arrown into such a romantic fool?

Who knew? Who cared? He was in love He had finally found the one woman who could complete his heart, and if that made him a fool, so be it

He crept up behind her as she scurried toward the front of the house, and before she could hear his footsteps crunching along the gravel, he reached out and grasped her wrist

She whirled around with a shocked gasp Jaht as her eyes melted from panic to joy