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Leo let the loop swing a few ti how much line to allow He tossed it in a slow, carefuloff the shingles near Catherine’s feet

"You need to throw it harder," she said

Despite Leo’s desperation and bone-deep anxiety, he had to bite back a grin "Will you ever stop telling me what to do, Marks?"

"I don’t think so," she said after a athered up the rope and tossed the loop again, and this tiirl," Leo said He fought to keep his voice calh the circle, and lift it over your head I want it to go around your chest Not too fast, keep your balance--" His breath quickened as she fumbled with the loop "Yes, just so Yes God, I love you" He let out breath of relief as he saw that the rope was in place, fitting just above her brsts and beneath her aro"

"Not a chance" Harry quickly tied it around his oaist

Leo’s attention returned to Catherine, as saying so to him, her face draith a frown "What is it, Marks?"

"You didn’t have to say that"

"I didn’t have to say what?"

"That you love me"

"But I do"

"No, you don’t I heard you say to Win that…" Catherine paused, struggling to recollect "That you would only marry a woman you were certain never to love"

"I often say idiotic things," Leo protested "It never crossed my mind that anyone actually listens to me"

Aopened in the brothel next door, and an annoyed prostitute leaned out "There’s girls what’s tryin’ to sleep in ’ere, and you’re shoutin’ fit to wake the dead!"

"We’ll be finished soon," Leo called back to her, scowling "Go back to bed"

The prostitute continued to lean out "What are you doin’ wiv a girl on the bleedin’ roof?"

"None of your business," Leo said curtly

A few more s opened, and more heads stuck out, with incredulous exclaoin’ to jump?"

"Gor, what a filfy mess that would be"

Catherine didn’t seeaze fastened on Leo "Did you mean it?" she asked "What you said?"

"We’ll talk about it later," Leo said, straddling the sill, holding on to the fraainst the side of the house and step onto the sill Carefully"

"Did you ave her an incredulous glance "Good God, Marks, do you have to be stubborn now, of all times? You want me to declare myself in front of a chorus of prostitutes?"

She nodded emphatically

One of the whores called out, "Go on an’ tell ’er, dearie!"

The others joined in enthusiastically "Go on, luv!"

"Let’s ’ear it, ’andso his head slowly "If it will get her to come in off the blasted roof, just say it, damn it"

Leo leaned farther out the"I love you," he said shortly As he stared at Catherine’s sh, and his soul open with an eined could reside in him "I love you, Marks My heart is completely and utterly yours And unfortunately for you, the rest offor words, when they had always coht words Theyyou to have me anyway Because I want the chance to make you as happy as you ht to steady his voice "Please co you You don’t have to love me back You don’t have to be mine Just let hed

Another blotted her eyes "If she won’t ’ave ’im," she sniffled, "I’ll take ’iotten to her feet and was creeping to the sill "I’ his grip on the rope as he watched the movements of her small, bare feet "Do it exactly the way you did before"

She inched toward hi it before," she said breathlessly

"Don’t look down"

"I can’t see anyway"

"That’s just as well Keep athered the excess rope, as if he were reeling her in Closer and closer she came, until she was finally within arers tre with effort Another step, another, and then he finally had his ared her inside

Cheers erupted froan to close

Leo sank to the floor with his knees splayed, his face buried in Catherine’s hair Treh his body, and he let out a shuddering sigh "I have you I have you Oh, Marks You’ve just put h the worst twoto spend years atoning"

"It was only twoat his pocket, he pulled out her spectacles, and placed theain

Harry knelt beside them and touched Catherine’s shoulder She turned and put her ar brother," she whispered "You caainst her hair "Always Whenever you need lanced ruefully at Leo as he continued, "You’d better h that is probably worth keeping"

It ith the greatest reluctance that Leo surrendered Catherine to Poppy and Mrs Pennywhistle when they arrived back at the hotel The toht her to her room and helped her to bathe and wash her hair She was exhausted and disoriented, and infinitely grateful for the soothing attention Clad in a fresh nightgown and dressing robe, she sat before the fire while Poppy combed out her hair

The rooed and freshly , allowing Catherine and Poppy soer anywhere Re what had happened to hirief Toallant little creature, but for now she couldn’t quite bring herself to face it

Hearing her sniffle, Poppy reached around to give her a handkerchief The coh her hair "Harry told ht, dear, but if it were me, I would want to know After you left with Leo, Harry stayed behind until the police came to your aunt’s house They went upstairs to find your aunt, but she was dead They found raw opium paste in herthe handkerchief against her welling eyes