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How in heaven’s name, when all she had ever wanted was someone to share affection and intimacy with, had she ended up with a man as capable of neither? All Harry wanted was the use of her body, and the illusion of a ive than that And he would have to take all of her or nothing

In the evening, Harry came to the apartments to have dinner with Poppy He infor to meet with visitors in their apart hom?" Poppy asked

"Someone from the War Office Sir Gerald Hubert"

"May I ask what it is about?"

"I’d rather you didn’t"

Staring into his inscrutable features, Poppy felt a chill of unease "Am I to play hostess?" she asked

"That won’t be necessary"

The evening was cold and wet, rain striking in heavy sheets against the roof and s, and washing the filth from the streets in muddy streams The stilted dinner concluded, and a pair ofa spoonful of sugar into the dark liquid, Poppy stared at Harry thoughtfully "What rank is Sir Gerald?"

"Assistant adjutant general"

"What is he in charge of?"

"Financial ade for reforth Badly needed reforht of the tensions between the Russians and the Turks"

"If a war starts, will Britain be drawn into it?"

"Almost certainly But it’s possible that diplomacy will resolve the issue before it comes to war"

"Possible but not likely?"

Harry smiled cynically "War is always more profitable than diplomacy"

Poppy sipped her tea "My brother-in-law Can of the standard army rifle And now the War Office is indebted to you"

Harry shook his head to indicate that it had been nothing "I scratched out a few ideas when the subject came up at a supper party"

"Obviously the ideas turned out to be very effective," Poppy said "As lass of port idly in his hands His gaze lifted to hers "Are you trying to ask so, Poppy?"

"I don’t know Yes It seems likely that Sir Gerald ant to discuss weaponry with you, won’t he?"

"Undoubtedly He is bringing Mr Edward Kinloch, ns an arave her a quizzical glance "You don’t approve?"

"I think a brain as clever as yours should be put to better use than co up with more efficient ways to kill people"

Before Harry could reply, there came a knock at the door, and the visitors were announced

Harry stood and helped Poppy rise frouests

Sir Gerald was a large and stockyof thick white whiskers He wore a silver gray ine wafted froe," he said with a bow "I see the reports of your beauty are not at all exaggerated"

Poppy forced a s beside her, introduced the other man "Mr Edward Kinloch"

Kinloch bowed ie’s as an unwelcoet about the business at hand Everything about hihtness of his sleaid containentlemen," Poppy murmured "I will leave you to your discussion May I send for refreshan, but Kinloch interrupted

"That is very gracious of you, Mrs Rutledge, but it won’t be necessary"

Sir Gerald’s jowls drooped in disappointment

"Very well," Poppy said pleasantly "I will take "

Harry showed the visitors to his library, while Poppy stared after them She didn’t like her husband’s visitors, and she especially didn’t like the subject they intended to discuss Most of all, she loathed the idea of her husband’s diabolical cleverness being applied to i to Harry’s bedroo to the conversation that was taking place in the library Finally, she gave up the atteued silently with herself Eavesdropping rong But really, in the spectruood reason? What if there was a beneficial result of the eavesdropping, such as preventing another person fro a mistake? Furthermore, wasn’t it her duty as Harry’s wife to be his helpht need her advice And certainly the best way to be helpful was to find out what he was discussing with his guests

Poppy tiptoed across the aparthtly ajar Keeping herself tucked out of sight, she listened

"you can feel the recoil power in the kick of the gun against your shoulder," Harry was saying in a ht be a way to turn that to practical effect, using the recoil to draw in another bullet Or better yet, I could devise athat contains powder, bullet, and primer all in one The recoil force would auto and draw in another, so the weapon could fire repeatedly And it would have far more power and precision than any firearm yet developed"

His stateuessed that Kinloch and Sir Gerald, like herself, were struggling to take in what Harry had just described

"My God," Kinloch finally said, sounding breathless "That is so far beyond anything wethat is leaps ahead of what I’"