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Daisy tried to explain that she’d just gotten the wind knocked out of her, and he seeht," he said "Don’t try to talk Breathe slowly" Feeling her stir against hiainstit back froh her liathered her closer "Slowly, sweetheart Easy You’re safe now"

Daisy closed her eyes to hide her astonish her in hard, strong arar

Years of uncivilized rough-and-tuht Daisy to recover quickly fro up and dusted herself off by now But every pleasure-saturated cell in her body sought to preserve the ers stroked the side of her face "Look at me, sweetheart Tell me where it hurts"

Her lashes swept upward His face was right over hers As she was held in the compass of his extraordinary blue eyes, she felt as if she were floating in layers of color "You have nice teeth," she told hiily, "but you know, your eyes are even nicer…"

Swift frowned, the pad of his thuht a wash of pink to the surface of her skin "Can you tell otten it?"

"No, I want to know if you’ve forgotten it"

"I would never be so silly as to forget my own name," she said "I’m Daisy Bowman"

"What is your birthday?"

She couldn’t repress a crooked s one"

"Your birthday," he insisted

"March the fifth"

His ht It’s September the twelfth How did you know , Swift looked up and spoke to his coathered around them "Her pupils are the same size," he said "And she’s alert No broken bones, either"

"Thank God" Westcliff’s voice

Looking over Mattheift’s broad shoulder, Daisy saw her brother-in-law standing over the sympathetic expressions

Westcliff held a rifle in his hand He lowered to his haunches beside her "We were just returning from an afternoon shoot," the earl said "It was pure chance that we caed"

"I could have sworn it was a wild boar," Daisy said in wonder

"But that can’t be," Lord Landrindon reotten the better of you, Miss Bowland for hundreds of years"

"But I saw--" Daisy began defensively

"It’s all right," Swifthis hold "I saw it too"

Westcliff’s expression was rueful "Miss Bowman is not entirely mistaken," he told Llandrindon "We’ve had a local probleeneration or two of feral litters Only last ed by one of the?" Daisy asked, struggling to a sitting position Swift kept a supportive arainst his warht flashed over the horizon, te her face away froainst her hair

"Not angry," Westcliff said in reference to the pig "Feral, and therefore dangerous Doressive and quite large I would esti Swift’s perplexity, the earl clarified, "Approximately three hundred pounds"

Swift helped Daisy to her feet, bracing her against his sturdy form "Slowly," he murmured "Are you dizzy? Nauseous?"

Daisy felt absolutely fine But it was so delicious to stand there with him that she said breathlessly, "Perhaps a little"

His hand caainst his shoulder Her temperature escalated as she felt the protectiveness of his embrace, the wonderful solidity of his body All this from Mattheift, the most unromanticone surprise after another

"I’ll take you back," Swift said near her ear Her skin prickled in delighted response "Do you think you could ride in front of ht, that she should feel a shameless thrill of anticipation at the prospect She could lean back in his arms as he carried her away on his horse, and she could secretly indulge in a fantasy or two She would pretend she was an adventuress being abducted by a dashing villain--

"I fear that would not be wise," Lord Llandrindon interrupted with a laugh "Considering the state of affairs between the two of you…"

Daisy blanched, thinking at first that he was referring to those torrid moments in the library But there was no way Llandrindon could know about that She hadn’t told a soul, and Sas as closemouthed as a cla about their rivalry at laling

"I think I had better be the one to escort Miss Bowman home," Llandrindon said, "to prevent any chance of violence"

Daisy slitted a glance at the viscount’s s face and wished he had kept his mouth shut She parted her lips to protest, but Swift had already replied

"Perhaps you’re right, runtled as Swift eased her away froround with a grim expression "I’ll have to find the animal and cull it"

"Not on my account, I hope," Daisy said anxiously

"There is blood on the ground," the earl replied "The animal is wounded It’s kinder to put it down rather than let it suffer"

Mr Mardling went to fetch his own gun, saying eagerly, "I’ll go with you, my lord!"

In the meanwhile Lord Llandrindon had mounted his horse "Hand her up to me," he said to Swift, "and I’ll return her safely to the manor"

Swift tilted Daisy’s face upward and extracted a white handkerchief from his pocket "If you still feel dizzy by the ties fro to send for the doctor Understand?"

Despite his overbearing aze that ainst his heartbeat "Are you co back too," she asked, "or will you stay with Lord Westcliff?"

"I’ the handkerchief in his pocket, Swift bent and picked her up easily "Hold ontowhere it pressed against the hot skin of his nape and the cool silky locks of his hair He carried her as if she weighed nothing, his chest rock-solid, his breath soft and even against her cheek His skin carried the scent of sun and outdoors She could barely restrain herself fro into his neck