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"Oh!"

Turner looked up from his father's chair "Miss Miranda," he drawled, not adjusting one muscle of his lazy sprawl " Quelle surprise"

Turner wasn't certain why he wasn't surprised to see Miss Miranda Cheever standing in the doorway of his father's study When he'd heard footsteps in the hall, he'd somehon it had to be she True, his family tended to sleep like the dead, and it was alht be up and about, wandering the halls in search of a snack or so to read

But it had been more than the process of elimination that had led him to Miranda as the obvious choice She was a watcher, that one, always there, always observing the scene with those owlish eyes of hers He couldn't remember when he'd firststrings She was a fixture, really, soht to have been only fao," she said

"No, don't," he replied, because…because why ?

Because he felt likemischief?

Because he'd had too much to drink?

Because he didn't want to be alone?

"Stay," he said, waving his arm expansively Surely there had to be somewhere else to sit in here "Have a drink"

Her eyes widened

"Didn't think they could get any bigger," he muttered

"I can't drink," she said

"Can't you?"

"I shouldn't ," she corrected, and he thought he saw her brows draw together Good, he'd irritated her It was good to know he could still provoke a woman, even one as un-schooled as she

"You're here," he said with a shrug "You ht as well have a brandy"

For a moment she held still, and he could swear he could hear her brain whirring Finally, she set her little book on a table near the door and stepped forward "Just one," she said

He smiled "Because you know your limit?"

Her eyes met his "Because I don't know ," he murmured

"I'm nineteen," she said, not defiantly, just as statement of fact

He lifted a brow "As I said…"

"When you were nineteen…"