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Miranda began to breathe again, not certain if she was disappointed or relieved

Olivia, however, had no doubt of her own feelings " Quel disaster," she entlemen, and I'm stuck with my brother When is the next tientleman? It's a waste, I tell you, a waste"

"It could be worse," Miranda said pragentlemen At least you know that Turner won't attempt to ravish you"

"It's a small consolation, I assure you"

"Livvy- "

"Shush, they just called out Lord Westholme"

"And for the ladies…" Lady Chester trilled "Miss Miranda Cheever!"

Olivia nudged her "Lucky you"

Miranda just shrugged

"Oh, don't act like such a jade," Olivia adive my left foot to switch places with you Say, why don't itch places? There aren't any rules against it And you like Turner, after all"

Only too loomily

"Well? Will you do it? Unless you have your eye on Lord Westhol not to sound dismayed "No, of course not"

"Then let's do it," Olivia said excitedly

Miranda didn't know if she ought to jump at the chance or run to her room and hide in the wardrobe Either way, she didn't have much of an excuse to refuse Olivia's request Livvy would certainly want to knohy she didn't want to be alone with Turner And then ould she say? I just told your brother that I love him , and I'm afraid that he hates ht ravish ht ravish hih

Or cry

But Olivia was staring at her expectantly, in that Oliviaish way she'd perfected at, oh, the age of three, and Miranda realized that it didn't reallyto end up partnered with Turner

It wasn't that Olivia was spoiled, although she was, perhaps, a little bit It was just that any attee the issue would be ation so precise and so persistent that she would surely end up revealing everything

At which point she would have to flee the country Or at least find a bed to crawl under For a week

So she sighed And she nodded And she thought about bright sides and silver linings and deduced that neither was in evidence

Olivia grabbed her hand and squeezed "Oh, Miranda, thank you!"

"I hope Turner doesn't mind," Miranda said cautiously

"Oh, he won't et down on his knees and thank his lucky stars he doesn't have to spend the entire afternoon with me He thinks I'm a brat"

"He does not"

"He does He often tells ht to be more like you"