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As she went out into the hall, she heard the subtle ru the supper buffet in the drawing roohter--a string quartet with an acco to listen, Annabelle was astonished to realize that it was the same sad, beautiful melody that she had heard in her dream She closed her eyes and listened intently, while her throat tightened with a wistful ache Thethat she should not have allowed herself to feel Good God, she thought, I’et so her eyes, she started to walk again, only to narrowlyinto someone who had approached from the opposite direction

Her heart seemed to expand painfully as she looked up at Simon Hunt, as dressed in a for his wide mouth His deep voice sent a shiver down her spine "Where do you think you’re going?"

So he had coant crowd that he should have beenwith downstairs Aware that the sudden weakness in her knees had nothing to do with her illness, Annabelle toyed nervously with the end of her braid "To have a supper tray in the parlor"

Taking her elbow, Hunt turned and guided her along the hallway, keeping his steps slow to accommodate hers "You don’t want a supper tray in the parlor," he informed her

"I don’t?"

He shook his head "I have a surprise for you Coly, Hunt slid an assessing gaze over her "Your balance has i?"

"Much better," Annabelle replied, and flushed as her storinned and brought her to a partially opened door Leading her over the threshold, he brought her into a s with tapestries, and furniture upholstered in amber velvet The room’s most distinctive feature, however, was theon the inside wall, which opened out onto the drawing room two stories below This place was perfectly concealed frouests belohileAnnabelle’s round-eyed gaze moved to a small table that was covered with silver-do to decide ould tempt your appetite," Hunt said "So I told the kitchen staff to include so"

Overwhelone to such lengths for her enjoyment, Annabelle suddenly found it difficult to speak She sed hard and looked everywhere but at his face "This is lovely I…I didn’t know this room was here"

"Few people do The countess soo downstairs" Hunt ers beneath her chin, coaxing her to aze "Will you have dinner with me?"

Annabelle’s pulse throbbed so rapidly that she was certain he could feel it against his fingers "I have no chaperone," she half whispered

Hunt s fro to seduce you while you’re obviously too weak to defend yourself"

"That’s very gentle better"

Biting back a smile, Annabelle raised a fine brow, and said, "You’re very sure of yourself Should you have said you’re going to try to seduce me?"

" ‘Never anticipate failure’--that’s whataruided her to one of the chairs "Will you have so into the deeply upholstered chair "It would probably go straight towith a wicked charm that Lucifer himself would have tried to eet a bit tipsy"

Sipping the slance "I wonder how often a lady’s downfall began with that exact promise from you…"

"I have yet to cause a lady’s downfall," Hunt said, lifting the covers fro them aside "I usually pursue them after they’ve already fallen"

"Have there been many fallen ladies in your past?" Annabelle couldn’t keep fro neither apologetic nor boastful as he ies have been absorbed by a different pasti the development of a locomotive works that Westcliff and I have invested in"

"Really?" Annabelle stared at hi interest "I’ve never been on a train before What is it like?"

Hunt grinned, suddenly looking boyish in his barely suppressed enthusiaser locomotive is about fiftya six-coupled express engine design that should go up to seventy"

"Seventyforward at such speed "Wouldn’t that be uncoers?"

The questionspeed, you don’t feel the er cars like on the inside?"

"Not especially luxurious," Hunt adlass "I wouldn’t reco other than a private car--especially for soave hi that I’m spoiled, I assure you that I aaze slid over her pink-tinted face and slender upper body, then sought hers again There was a note in his voice that gently robbed her of breath "You could do with a bit of spoiling"

Annabelle inhaled deeply, trying to restore the natural rhyths Desperately, she hoped that he wouldn’t touch her, that he would keep his promise not to seduce her Because if he did…God help her…she wasn’t certain that she would be able to resist him

"Consolidated is the na to retrieve the thread of conversation

Hunt nodded "It’s the British partner of Shaw Foundries"