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"No"

No explanations Just no As if it were absurd even to ponder the question

She looked up sharply He looked so solid And strong And dependable He’d always been dependable, she realized She was just usually too busy being irritated by hied carefully back to the end of the roof, turning around so that he could set one foot on the top rung of the ladder

"Don’t forget the cat," Billie directed

"The cat," he repeated, giving her a surely you jest look

"I’ritted his teeth, said so quite unsavory under his breath, and reached out for the cat

Which bit him

"Mother of --"

Billie scooted back an inch He looked ready to tear someone’s head off, and she was closer than the cat

"That cat," George growled, "can rot in hell"

"Agreed," she said, very quickly

He blinked at her speedy acquiescence She tried for a s She had two brothers by blood and three ht as well have been brothers in the Rokesby household Four if she included George, which she wasn’t quite sure she did

The point was, she understood men, and she knehen to keep her mouth shut

Besides, she was done with that cursed anierton was in possession of a sentiy beast because it was the right thing to do, then she had tried to save it again, if only because it seemed like a waste of her previous efforts not to, but now…

She stared down at the anie said, ht in front of o down?"

"I’ll catch you," he ground out

She’d been joking, but it didn’t seee turned to descend, but as he , the cat, which had apparently not liked being ignored, let out a bloodcurdling screech and dashed through his legs George pitched back, ar

Billie didn’t think She didn’t notice her foot, or her balance, or anything She just leapt forward and grabbed hi him back to safety

"The ladder!" she shrieked

But it was too late Together they watched the ladder pivot, spin, then fall with a strange balletic grace to the ground

Chapter 2

It would be fair to say that George Rokesby, eldest son of the Earl of Manston and currently known to the civilized world as Viscount Kennard, was an even-teentleicalhis eyes just-so that ensured that his wishes were ranted with breathless pleasure, and – and this was theto his preferred schedule