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"How romantic Do you speak of the town? Or your betrothed?"

She narrowed her gaze, hating the way he h she didn’t knohat she was doing or why

As though she were being terribly rash

As though she had a choice

"In comparison to you and London, both"

It wasn’t rashness that had her heading home She had no choice London would never have her It never wanted her to begin with She had to hope that Mossband would

He finished his tea "You know, considering you are whiling away your days in coesse, Lady Sophie, one would think that you would be significantly better behaved in my presence"

She faked a smile "Sadly, my lord, I am not like the women hom you typically consort"

He reached for his newspaper "You shan’t have an argument from me on that"

He was odious She huffed her irritation "What’s the third?"

He looked up "The third?"

"You said you had three questions"

"Ah," he said, looking back to the paper "I do"

"Well?"

"What the hell did you do to the Duke of Haven?"

Oh, dear "How did you--" she began before realizing that the question acknowledged her actions She changed tack "I told you"

He shook his head "No You told me you insulted him in front of the entire assembly"

"I did," she said

He tossed the newspaper on top of her unpleasant biscuit "What did you do before that, Sophie?"

She looked down at the paper, her gaze falling to a line of large, bold type DANGEROUS DAUGHTER DUNKS DUKE!

It was not, as she had expected, an old newspaper "That newspaper was printed and delivered with uncanny expediency to Sprotbrough"

"Who would have iined it was such a metropolis?" he replied

"The exclamation point seems unnecessary," she said quietly

"You should write a letter of complaint to the editor What did you do?"

She lifted the newspaper and offered it back to him "I’m certain you can read all about it"

"It says you nearly drowned him There’s speculation that you wished to kill him"

She rolled her eyes "Oh, for heaven’s sake He was backside first in two feet of fishpond"

He laughed at that A warh that surprised her with its honesty It et what they were discussing, until he recovered his words and asked, incredulous, "At your doing?"

"He deserved it, if that’s worth anything," she grumbled

"I have no doubt he did, the pompous ass," Eversley said "What did he do to you?"

"It wasn’t me," she said "I wouldn’t have done it if it were me"

He watched her carefully "For whoreenhouse With a wo to make her elaborate "The woman was not my sister"