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In the wake of his parents’ abandonment, Harry had taken his meals in the kitchen with the hotel employees When he was sick, one or another of the o, and he had learned to view them with the same detachment that the hotel staff did Deep down Harry harbored a suspicion that the reason histo do with him, was because he was unlovable And therefore he had no desire to be part of a family Even if or when Poppy bore hih to form an attachment He would never let himself be shackled that way And yet he so envy for those ere capable of it, like the Hathaways
The breakfast wore on, with endless rounds of toasting When Harry saw the betraying droop of Poppy’s shoulders, he deduced she’d had enough He rose andhis thanks for the honor of the guests’ presence on such a significant day
It was the signal for the bride to retire along with her brideseneral company, ould disperse to attend a variety of amusements for the rest of the day Poppy paused at the doorway As if she could feel Harry’s gaze on her, she turned to glance over her shoulder
A warning flashed in her eyes, and it aroused him instantly Poppy would not be a complacent bride, nor had he expected her to be She would try to exact coe herup to a point He wondered how she would react when he caaze away from his bride as he was approached by Kev Merripen, Poppy’s brother-in-law, a ed to stay relatively inconspicuous despite his size and striking appearance He was a Romany Gypsy, tall and black haired, his austere exterior concealing a nature of dark intensity
"Merripen," Harry said pleasantly "Did you enjoy the breakfast?"
The Roaze pro," he said "If you’ve done so to harm Poppy, I will find you and rip your head from your--"
"Merripen!" came a cheerful exclamation as Leo suddenly appeared beside theainst the Gypsy’s ribs "All charratulate the bridegroom, phral Not threaten to dismember him"
"It’s not a threat," the Roaze directly "I appreciate your concern for her I assure you, I’ll do everything inshe wants"
"I believe a divorce would top the list," Leo mused aloud
Harry leveled a cool stare at Merripen "I’d like to point out that your sistershould have had the bollocks to come to the church and carry her out bodily if necessary But he didn’t And if he wasn’t willing to fight for her, he didn’t deserve her" He saw from Merripen’s quick blink that he had scored a point "Moreover, after going through these exertions toI would do is mistreat her"
"What exertions?" the Rom asked suspiciously, and Harry realized that he hadn’t yet been told the entire story
"Never mind that," Leo told Merripen "If I told you now, you’d onlyAnd that’s supposed to be lance, and Merripenin Romany
Leo smiled faintly "I have no idea what you just said But I suspect it’s so Poppy’s new husband into forest riave him a curt nod and left without another word to Harry
"And that was one of his goodafter his brother-in-laith rueful affection He returned his attention to Harry Suddenly, his eyes were filled with a world-weariness that should have taken lifetimes to acquire "I’m afraid no amount of discussion would ease Merripen’s concern He’s lived with the fa to him"
"I will take care of her," Harry said
"I’m sure you’ll try And whether you believe it or not, I hope you succeed"
"Thank you"
Leo focused on hiaze that would have troubled awith the family when they depart for Hampshire on the morrow"
"Business in London?" Harry asked politely
"Yes, a few last parlia--a hobby offor Poppy’s sake You see, I expect she’ll want to leave you quite soon, and I intend to escort her home"
Harry smiled contemptuously, amused by his new brother-in-law’s effrontery Did Leo have any idea how many ways Harry could ruin him, and how easily it could be done? "Tread carefully," Harry said softly
It was a sign of either na&iue that Leo didn’t flinch He actually s you don’t seeed to acquire Poppy, but you don’t have what it takes to keep her Therefore, I won’t be far away I’ll be there when she needs me And if you har No man is untouchable--not even you"
After a arlass of iced chane and tactfully left
Grateful for the silence of the private apart table and unpinned her hair slowly Her , and the tiny ne andit fall in ainst her scalp
Harry had not yet come to the apartment Poppy considered what she would say to hi cah the roo area, the rest of the rooms had been decorated in plush fabrics and war Everything was i clarity, the Turkish carpeting clean swept and scented of tea leaves There were fireplaces with marble or carved wood mantels and tiled hearths, and many la
An extra bedroom had been added for Poppy Harry had told her that she could have as many rooms for her own use as she wished--the apart spaces could be opened up with ease The counterpane on the bed was a soft shade of robin’s egg blue, the fine linen sheets embroidered with tiny blue flowers Pale blue satin and velvet curtains swathed the s It was a beautiful, fereat pleasure in it, had the circumstances been different
She tried to decide if she was ry with Harry, Michael, or herself Perhaps equally with all three of the it wouldn’t be long until Harry arrived Her gaze fell to the bed She reassured herself with the thought that Harry would not force her to submit to him His villainy would not lend itself to crude violence
Her sto the apartments She took a deep breath, and another, and waited until Harry’s broad-shouldered for her, his features impassive His cravat had been re line of his throat Poppy steeled herself not to move as Harry approached her He reached out to touch her shining hair, letting it slide through his fingers like liquid fire "I’ve never seen it down before," he said He was close enough that she could sne on his breath His fingers s within her stillness