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Marks’s voice came frolancing off her fair hair and causing dust litter around her "Just as well, since no rational woe without hesitation "A rational woman…" he mused aloud "I don’t believe I’ve ever met one of those"
"Hoould you know if you did?" she asked "You wouldn’t be interested in her character You would be far too busy exa her … her…"
"Her what?" he prompted
"Her dress hed at her prudishness
"Is it really so impossible for you to nas--why is it indecent to talk about the huhtforward manner?"
Her eyes narrowed "Because it leads to ihts"
Leo smirked at her "Mine already are"
"Well, mine aren’t," she said "And I would prefer them to remain that way"
His brows lifted "You don’t have ihts?"
"Hardly ever"
"But when you do, what are they?"
She gave hilance
"Have I ever been involved in your i her face to flame
"I told you I didn’t have any," she protested
"No, you said ‘hardly ever’ Whicharound in there"
A her"
Leo barely heard her, his attention fixed on Catherine "I wouldn’t think badly of you at all if you did," he said "In fact, I’d like you much better for it"
"No doubt you would," Catherine shot back "You probably prefer women with no virtues at all"
"Virtue in a woman is like pepper in the soup A littleBut overdo it, and no one wants veryheran end to the rapid-paced argument
In the silence, Leo beca at hi?" he de on? And what the devil are you all reading?"
Amelia, Cam, and Merripen had spread papers over the table, while Win and Beatrix appeared to be looking up words in a al tome
"A letter was just delivered from our London solicitor, Mr Gadwick," Merripen said "It seeal issues that weren’t made clear when you inherited the estate"
"No surprise there," Leo said He went to the sideboard, where breakfast had been laid out "The estate and title were tossed inwith the Ramsay curse"
"There is no Ramsay curse," Amelia said
"Oh?" Leo smiled darkly "Then why did the last half-dozen Lord Ramsays die in quick succession?"
"Pure coincidence," she replied "Obviously that particular branch of the family was clumsy and inbred It’s a common difficulty for bluebloods"
"Well, we certainly don’t have that problem" Leo returned his attention to Merripen "Tell al issues And use s It hurts"
Looking none too happy, Merripen sat at the table "This house," he said, "and the parcel of land it stands on--about fourteen acres in total--were not part of the original Raal terms, it’s a copyhold portion, which is a separate property within the main estate And unlike the rest of the estate, the copyhold can be ht, or sold at the will of the lord"
"Good," Leo said "Since I’, it’s all fine, isn’t it?"
"No"
"No?" Leo scowled "According to the rules of entailment, the lord always retains his land and e that"
"That’s right," Merripen said "You are entitled to the ancient manor home The one on the northwest corner of the estate where two streams meet"
Leo set down his half-filled plate and stared at him blankly "But that’s a pile of rubble covered with scrub It was built at the time of Edward the Confessor, for God’s sake"
"Yes," Merripen said in amore and e, I want this house Why is there a probleerly "I’ve looked up all the legal words, and I know it better than anyone" She sat up with her pet ferret Dodger draped around her shoulders "You see, Leo, the original o And one of the ancient Lord Ramsays acquired this fourteen-acre parcel and built a new home on it Ever since then, Ramsay House has been handed down to each new viscount by special custom in the manor But the last Lord Ramsay--the one just before you--found a way to leave all partible property, including the copyhold, to hisand daughter It’s called an award of enfranchisement, and it’s theirs for life So Ramsay House and the fourteen-acre parcel it stands upon have been left to Countess Rahter Vanessa Darvin"
Leo shook his head incredulously "Why haven’t we learned of this before?"