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As it turned out, the stairs were no effort for hiht, his breathing hadn’t even altered Annabelle suspected that he could have carried her ten ti a sweat When she said as much to him, he replied in asides of beef and pork toyou is far more enjoyable"

"Hoeet," Annabelletold that she’s preferable to a dead cow"

Laughter ruainst the doorfra anxiously as Hunt brought Annabelle to the brocade-covered bed

"Here we are," he said, laying her down and reaching for an extra pillow to prop her to a half-sitting position

"Thank you," she whispered, staring into the thick-lashed sable eyes above her own

"I want to see your leg"

Her heart seeeous statement When her pulse resumed, it eak and far too brisk "I would rather wait until the doctor arrives"

"I’ her protests, Hunt reached for the hee, hurrying over to him "Don’t you dare! Miss Peyton is ill, and if you don’t remove your hands at once--"

"Settle your feathers," Hunt replied sardonically "I’ to abuse Miss Peyton’s aze switched to Annabelle’s pale face "Don’tto incite me to a frenzy of--" He broke off with a sharp intake of breath as he lifted her skirts and saw her swollen ankle "Daht of you as a reasonably intelligent woo downstairs in this condition?"

"Oh, Annabelle," Daisy murmured, "Your ankle looks terrible!"

"It wasn’t that bad earlier," Annabelle said defensively "It’s gotten much worse in the past half hour, and--" She yelped in a mixture of pain and alarm as she felt Hunt reach farther beneath her skirts "What are you doing? Daisy, don’t let hi," Hunt said "And I would advise Miss Bow at him, Daisy came to Annabelle’s side "I would advise you to proceed with caution, Mr Hunt," she said s to stand by passively while youarter and unfastened it deftly "Miss Bow to be overrun with visitors, including Mrs Peyton, Lord Westcliff, and your hardheaded sister, followed soon thereafter by the doctor Even I, seasoned ravisher that I am, require ed as Annabelle gasped in pain at his gentle touch Deftly he unrolled her stocking, his fingertips feather-light, but her skin was so sensitive that even the softest stroke caused an unbearable sting "Hold still, sweetheart," he

Biting her lip, Annabelle watched as his dark head bent over her ankle He turned it carefully, taking care not to touch her more than necessary Then he went still, his dark head bent over her leg "Just as I thought"

Leaning forward, Daisy looked at the place on her ankle that Hunt indicated "What are those little marks?"

"Adder bite," Hunt said tersely He rolled up his shirtsleeves, exposing lanced at him in shock "I’ve been bitten by a snake?" Annabelle asked dazedly "But how? When? That can’t be true I would have felt so…wouldn’t I?"

Hunt reached inside the pocket of the coat that was still wrapped around her, searching for so "Sometimes people don’t notice the moment they’re bitten The Hampshire woods are full of adders at this ti this afternoon" Finding what he sought, he extracted a s knife and flipped it open

Annabelle’s eyes widened with alar, Hunt severed it neatly in two "Making a tourniquet"

"D-do you always carry one of those with you?" She had always thought of hi hie was strongly reinforced

Sitting beside her outstretched leg, Hunt sth of silk above her ankle "Nearly always," he said wryly, concentrating on his handiwork "Being a butcher’s son consigns ht--" Annabelle stopped and gasped in pain at the soft cinch of silk

Hunt’s gaze shot to hers, and there was a new tautness in his face "I’ the other half of the stocking beneath her injury He talked to distract her while he tightened the second tourniquet "This is what co those daht over an adder as sunning himself…and when he saw one of those pretty little ankles, he decided to take a nibble" He paused, and said so beneath his breath that sounded like, "I can’t say that I bla of response in her eyes Fighting the ers into the thick, brocaded counterpane beneath her "Why has my ankle only started to hurt this badly now if I was bitten earlier in the day?"

"It can take several hours for the effects to set in" Hunt glanced at Daisy "Miss Bow the servants’ bell--tell the water Immediately"

"What are clivers?" Daisy asked suspiciously

"A hedgeroeed The housekeeper has kept a dried bundle of theardener was bitten last year"

Daisy rushed to co the two of theardener?" Annabelle asked through chattering teeth She was overcome with continuous shivers, as if she had been immersed in ice water "Did he die?"

Hunt’s expression did not change, but she sensed that her question had startled hi closer "No, sweetheart…" Taking her trerip "Ha larger than a cat, or a very s as he continued "You’ll be fine Uncomfortable as hell for the next few days, but after that you’ll be back to nor to be kind, are you?" she asked anxiously

Bending over her, Hunt stroked back a few tendrils of hair that had stuck to her sweat-shimmered forehead Despite the size of his hand, his touch was light and tender "I never lie for the sake of kindness," he"One of my many flaws"