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"I'"

"Nonsense Of course it is Now, then, shall we be off?"

She reached out and grabbed the hand he was holding out to her Slowly she rose to her feet "Siood biscuits," she said softly, the very tone of her voice iar They're delicious"

"Splendid If she doesn't have so a batch I say, we don't have to finish the pigpen, do we?"

She shook her head "I orking on it Saturday, butI think the "

"I know they were surprised Tommy's jaw dropped halfway to his knees And please tell et up this early"

"No I' done before nine o'clock unless I absolutely have to"

Dunford smiled wryly as he realized the extent of her previous deterone to get up at half past five in thepeople as et on famously"

"I expect so" She smiled tremulously as they walked to the house A friend That hat he was going to be to her It was a thrilling thought She really hadn't had any friends since she'd reached adulthood Oh, she got on very ith all the servants, but there was always that air of e too close With Dunford, however, she had found friendship, even if they had gotten off to a rocky start Still, there was one thing she wanted to know Softly she said his name

"Yes?"

"When you said you weren't angry"

"Yes?"

"Were you?"

"I was rather annoyed," he adry?" She sounded as if she didn't believe hiry, you'll know"

"What happens?"

His eyes clouded over slightly before he answered "You don't want to know"

She believed him

An hour or so later, after they had both bathed, Henry and Dunford er biscuits While they were busy fighting over the last one, Yates arrived

"A letter arrived for you earlier this , my lord," he intoned "From your solicitor I left it in the study"

"Excellent," Dunford replied, pushing out his chair and rising to his feet "That e Park A copy of Carlyle's will, I think Would you care to read it, Henry?" He didn't know if she felt slighted by the fact that the property had gone to him It was entailed, that was true, and Henry couldn't have inherited in any case, but that did nother if she wanted to read Carlyle's will, he was trying to assure her that she was still an ied as she followed hihtforward, I think Everything to you"

"Carlyle didn't leave you anything?" Dunford raised his brows in shock It was unconscionable to leave a young woht you would take care of me"

"I will certainly make sure you are comfortably situated, and you will always have a home here, but Carlyle should have provided for you I never even met the man He couldn't have had any idea if I had any sort of principles whatsoever"