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"Shall we invite Leo?" Poppy asked She and Harry both looked at Catherine

She hitched her shoulders in an unconcerned shrug, although she suspected it didn’t deceive either of them

"Would you have any objection?" Harry asked her

"No, of course not He is Poppy’s brother, and my former employer"

"And possibly your fiancé," Harry murmured

Catherine looked at him quickly "I haven’t accepted his proposal"

"You are considering it, however … aren’t you?"

Her heart gave a few thick beats in her chest "I’m not sure"

"Cat, I don’tdo you intend to wait before giving Ra" Cat frowned into her tea "If there’s any hope of retaining Ramsay House, Lord Ramsay will have to marry someone soon"

A tap at the door heralded the entrance of Harry’s right-hand er’s reports, as well as a handful of letters One of these was addressed to Poppy, who received it with a ware," he said with an answering s before he left He looked the tiniest bit smitten with Poppy, which Catherine couldn’t blame him for in the least

Poppy broke the seal and read the letter, her fine brows inching higher and higher as she neared the conclusion "My goodness, this is odd"

Harry and Catherine both looked at her questioningly

"It’s froh some charity work She asks me in this letter, very earnestly, if I will prevail on my brother to call upon Miss Darvin and Countess Ramsay, who are in town And she provides the address of the house they have let"

"Not so very odd," Catherine said pragh the news caused a stir of anxiety "After all, a lady may never call on a man for any reason, and therefore it is certainly not unheard-of for one to prevail upon a "

"Yes, but why does Miss Darvin wish to speak to Leo?"

"Itinterested "Perhaps she wishes to offer some manner of concession"

"I’, " Catherine said sullenly She couldn’t help re how beautiful the dark-haired Miss Darvin was, and what a striking couple she and Leo had made as they had waltzed "However, I doubt she intends to discuss legalities It’s so personal Otherwise she would allow the solicitors to deal with it"

"Cam and Merripen were terrified by Miss Darvin," Poppy told Harry with a grin "Aoas trimmed with peacock feathers, which the Roer"

"In some Hindu sects," Harry said, "the peacock’s cries are associated with the rainy season, and therefore, fertility"

"Danger or fertility?" Poppy asked dryly "Well, it should be interesting to see which one Miss Darvin will evince"

"I don’t want to," Leo said i on Miss Darvin

"That doesn’this coat as he entered the aparter in her lap, Leo ca for Catherine’s hand and brushing a kiss on the backs of her fingers The feel of his lips, so warainst her skin, caused a quick indrawn breath

"May I?" he asked, glancing at the place on the settee beside her

"Yes, of course"

After Poppy was seated in a chair by the hearth, Leo sat beside Catherine

She ser’s fur repeatedly, but he didn’tferret was so liht have reasonably assumed he was dead One could pick him up, even shake him, and he would slumber on undisturbed

Leo reached over to toy with the ferret’s tiny ar theer rerance about Leo, a scent of feed and hay and soent animal scent She sniffed curiously "You s?"

"It’s eau de zoo, " Leo infor with the secretary of the zoological society of London, and we toured the newest pavilion"

"Whatever for?" Catherine asked

"An old acquaintance of mine, hom I apprenticed for Rowland Ten a gorilla enclosure at the zoo They keep the short of cruelty Whena sufficiently large and safe enclosure without costing a fortune, I suggested that he dig a moat"

"A moat?" Poppy echoed

Leo smiled "Gorillas won’t cross deep water"

"How did you know that, my lord?" Catherine asked in amusement "Beatrix?"

"Naturally" He looked rueful "And now after estion, it seems I’ve been recruited as a consultant"