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She didn’t move her head, but her eyes turned one way, and then the other, and he couldn’t quite tell if she was trying to act sneaky Then she stood, brushing her hands against the pale green fabric of her skirts "I will be back," she said

"I cannot wait"

She marched to the door and turned around "With tart"

"You are my savior"

Her eyes narrowed "You owe reat deal more than treacle tart," he told her quite seriously

She exited the roo Marcus with his empty tureen and bread crusts And books He looked over at the table, where she’d left the books for hilass of lukewarm lemon water Mrs Wetherby had prepared for hi over, he grabbed the first book and took a look Striking and Picturesque Delineations of the Grand, Beautiful, Wonderful, and Interesting Scenery Around Loch-Earn

Good Lord, she’d found that in his library?

He looked at the next Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron It wasn’t so and Picturesque Delineations of the Grand, Beautiful Et Cetera, Et Cetera Somewhere in the Wilds of Scotland I Shall Bore You to Death, it looked positively pithy

He settled in against his pillows, flipped the pages until he was at the opening chapter, and sat down to read

It was a dark and windy night –

Hadn’t he heard that before?

- and Miss Priscilla Butterworth was certain that at anydown from the heavens in sheets and streams

By the time Honoria returned, Miss Butterworth had been abandoned on a doorstep, survived the plague, and been chased by a wild boar

She was quite fleet of foot, Miss Butterworth

Marcus turned eagerly to Chapter Three, where he anticipated Miss Butterworth sturossed when Honoria appeared in the doorway, out of breath and clutching a tea towel in her hands

"You didn’t get it, then?" he asked, looking at her over the edge of Miss Butterworth

"Of course I got it," she replied with disdain She set the tea towel down and unfolded it to reveal a sonizable, treacle tart "I brought an entire pie"

Marcus felt his eyes go wide He was tingling Honestly Tingling with anticipation Miss Butterworth and her locusts were nothing co saved your life," she quipped

"Well, that, too," he deave chase" She looked over her shoulder toward the open door "I think he h really, if I were cole Fensmore, I’d hardly start with treacle tart"

"Really?" he asked, his mouth full of heaven "It’s exactly where I’d start"

She broke off a piece and popped it in her hed "Even without the strawberries and crea better," he said with a happy sigh "Except, perhaps, chocolate cake"