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The creaks paused for a moment "It doesn’t really matter if it holds or not, does it?"

Billie sed Another person ht not be able to translate his words, but she’d known this man since the dawn of her e Rokesby, it was that he was a gentleman And he would never leave a lady in distress, no ile a ladder’s appearance

She was in trouble, ergo he had no choice He had to help, nohe found her

And he did Oh, she knew he did He had never h to be fair, neither had she

His head popped into view, and his Rokesby-blue eyes narrowed All the Rokesbys had blue eyes Every last one of theh "Of course you’re wearing breeches"

"I would hardly have attempted the tree in a dress"

"No," he said dryly, "you’re much too sensible for that"

Billie decided to let this one pass "It scratchedher head toward the cat

"Did it?"

"We fell"

George looked up "That’s quite a distance"

Billie followed his gaze The nearest branch was five feet up, and she had not been on the nearest branch "I hurt my ankle," she admitted

"I reckoned as much"

She looked over at hiround, otherwise"

Her mouth twisted as she peered past him to the packed dirt that surrounded the ruins of the fared to a prosperous farh "No," she said, assessing the distance "It’s too far for that"

"Even for you?"

"I’ree with her nearly as fast as he should have done Which was to say, not at all

"Very well," hat he did say "Let’s get you down"

She breathed in Then out Then said, "Thank you"

He looked over at her with a strange expression Disbelief, maybe, that she’d uttered the words thank and you in the sa to be dark soon," she said, her nose crinkling as she looked up at the sky "It would have been awful to have been stuck --" She cleared her throat "Thank you"