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He stared at her in shock

"As you said," she said pertly, "consanguinity has never been a prerequisite for blunt speaking"

"Apparently not"

"Oh, look, there she is," Lady Danbury coht, and Marcus followed her gaze to Honoria, as chatting with two other young ladies he could not identify froe of the ht of her Her hair looked different; he could not pinpoint what she’d done to it – he never had understood the finer points of fe about her was lovely Maybe he should have thought of some other, more poetic way to describe her, but sometimes the most simple words were the most heartfelt

She was lovely And he ached for her

"You do love her," Lady Danbury breathed

He whipped around "What are you talking about?"

"It’s written all over your face, trite as the expressionher cane and reat deal worse"

He paused With Lady Danbury it was difficult to kno to interpret even the most simple of sentences Not to mention that she still had her cane elevated One could never be too careful when that cane was in motion

"Go, go," she urged "Don’t worry aboutfool to torture And yes, before you feel the need to protest, I did just call you a fool"

"That, I think, uinity does allow"

She cackled with delight "You are a prince a nephews," she proclaimed

"Your second favorite," he murmured

"You’ll rise to the top of the list if you find a way to destroy her violin"

Marcus shouldn’t have laughed, but he did

"It’s a curse, really," Lady Danbury said "I’"

"Most would call that a blessing"

She snorted "Not with thatover the horizon"

"Why do you attend?" he asked "You’re not particularly close with the fahed, and for a rew soft "I don’t know," she ads"

He watched as her face changed back to its nore "You’re a nicer person than you let on," he said, s

"Don’t tell anyone Hh with you"