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"Yes, but--ouch" The point of a scroll had scratched her upper arinnings of alarm, she moved restlessly within the snarls of carved wood "Oh, this is horriculous"

"Easy Let ruff shout caoing on in there?"

Theover Pandora swore softly beneath his breath Pandora wasn’t certain what the word ed outsider continued "Scoundrel! I wouldn’t have expected this even of you Forcing yourself on a helpless fe a charity ball!"

"My lord," Pandora’s companion called out brusquely, "you misunderstand the situation"

"I’m sure I understand it quite well Unhand her this instant"

"But I’m still stuck," Pandora said plaintively

"For sha a third party as he reht in the very act, it see her out of the settee, one of his hands briefly shielding the side of her face to protect her fro, sending a warh her body As soon as she was free of the ork, Pandora stood too quickly Her head spun after having been held down for too long, and her balance went off-kilter Reflexively the stranger caught her against hi ihtly knit o Her loosened coiffure flopped forward over her forehead as she looked down at herself Her skirts were dirty and rumpled Red marks scored her shoulders and upper ar her muttered "Who are you?"

"Lady Pandora Ravenel I’ll tell the up at an arrogant young god, tall and big frarace The tiny pendant la the thick, well-cut layers of his ah and straight, the line of his jaw hard enough to chisel marble The full, sensuous curves of his lips lent a note of erotic dissonance to his otherwise classic features One glance at hi to breathe at high altitude What would it do to a man’s character to be so inhuood

Shaken, Pandora shoved her hand into the pocket of her gown and dropped the earring inside "I’ll tell the happened It’s the truth, after all"

"The truth isn’t going to matter," came his curt reply

He motioned for her to precede him from the summer house, and they were immediately confronted by Lord Chaworth, the host of the ball and owner of the estate As a friend of the Berwicks, he was one of the last people Pandora would have wanted to discover her in a co situation He was accompanied by a dark-haired man Pandora had never seen before

Chaworth was short and stocky, shaped like an apple set on a pair of nut picks A white nimbus of side whiskers and beard quivered tensely around his face as he spoke "The earl and I alking to the river’s edge to view the setup for the fireworks, e happened to hear the young lady’s screams for help"