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She shook her head "I don’t understand"

"I amuncomfortablein them"

"So you don’t travel?"

He raised a brow "Of course I travel, as you can see"

"Yes But long journeys must be difficult"

There was a pause "I don’t wish to be difficult"

She chuckled at that "You think your aversion to carriages is what makes you difficult?"

He smiled at her jest, a tiny quirk in his otherwise flat mouth "I think you are what makes me difficult, these days"

"Surely not," she teased "I am easy as church on Sunday"

He grunted and closed his eyes "I do not attend church"

"Shall I pray for your eternal soul, then?"

"Not if you’re looking for someone to listen to you I’m a lost cause, scoundrel that I aressively ety and unhappy Finally, Sophie said, "Would you like to ride on the block with the coach shook his head "I’m fine here"

"Except youcompanions You said as h"

"Perhaps I’ve changed e bounced and she slid across the seat, knocking her shoulder against the wall of the coach and gasping in pain

He swore harshly; he reached for her, lifting and turning her as though she weighed nothing, and settled her on the seat next to his before she could even consider what had happened

She snapped her head around to his, where his eyes renored her, resu It’s bad for your shoulder and for ood for her sanity

Not that he seemed to hts It worked for several seconds, until his warhs touched and spreading through her until she wanted nothing but to lean into him Instead, she kept asto say that was not Kiss h she wondered if he would do just that if she asked very nicely

She stiffened, as though posture could dispel errant thoughts "What about your curricle?"

"What about it?" he replied, not looking at her

"Why not drive that instead of sitting inside this coach?"

"My curricle is dismantled and headed to Lyne Castle"

Her eyes ide "Why?" Surely it was not for her benefit She enjoyed the co his life

"It lacks proper wheels," he said, dryly

Of course it did "I areen depths "I think you ?"

"People rarely apologize to me," he said, simply "Even fewer do so without artifice"

She did not kno to reply to that, so she changed the subject, returning to so safer "I’ve never seen anyone drive a curricle with such recklessness"

"Did it see could have toppled over"

He looked away "It’s happened before I survived"

She iined hi She did not like it Her brow furrowed "You could have died"