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"Sore," she replied

"You’re very lucky Mirela is a healer I don’t think a physician could have cared for you better"

"Lucky" The word escaped her like an epithet Nothing about her life felt lucky True, she could be dead, but her fate still hung in doubt She couldn’t surface and reveal herself The duke would finish what he started on their wedding barge

"Yes When I first found you, I did not expect you to live You were barely breathing"

She stared into the dark, in the direction of his voice, trying to see so of him, even just a hint of shadow The outline of his shape would be reassuring The last man she’d been alone with had atteh Owen Crawford wasn’t Bloodsworth--he had in fact rescued her--she didn’t feel entirely secure Perhaps she never would again Perhaps she would always be this--a wary creature of distrust, always on the verge of bolting

Only she was bed-bound She wasn’t bolting anywhere Her fist knotted into the blanket at the unwelco, she quickly vowed to herself Soth She’d be stronger than ever before Shts shied away from the fear that she was perhaps worse than before That her leg was completely and irrevocably lame She would not dwell on the possibility

"Yes I ah he could see her in the lightless space "Lucky, indeed" She was alive She had escaped her ? Are you hungry?"

She pressed a hand to her belly, noting that it wasn’t quite as curved as usual If she’d slept for an entire week, she didn’t iine she’d eaten that much Even now the notion of food made her stomach rebel She wasn’t ready for that

"I’ainst the floor and a swift yellow flare She squinted, holding a hand over her eyes, blinking, adjusting to the sudden laazethe taut and flexing tendons and muscle beneath his sun-kissed skin Her breath escaped in a short, quick burst He wore no shirt No jacket No vest or cravat Herso much of a man’s chest before Did they all look like this? So broad and dense with aze away and looked up Fixed her stare to his face Only that orse He was handso sort of way In an instant she knew this was a dangerousat Bloodsworth, but looking at thisdark blue They drilled into her, watching her keenly "Go ahead Drink" He nodded at the cup The movement dipped his dark blond hair lower over his forehead

She resisted the io, after all?

She took the cup froers with her own She ue she was gulping it down She handed the cup back to him "More, please"

Hesideboard and poured water fro sick"

She took the cup and drank greedily again, eyeing hi away

Lowering the cup, she wiped the water fro how unladylike she must appear She’d been the perfect lady before--or tried to be, at any rate--exe her betters, and look where that had gotten her

"I suppose I owe you a thank-you" The

He held her stare for a longthe cup, he finally turned fro I found you Was I to leave you there to die?" His words were terse and she was struck with the suspicion that this was not apolite conversation

"Not everyone would have bothered with me" Indeed not Her faith ina deep breath, she repeated, "Thank you" This tied one well-forain became a point of fascination She had never seen a ed plane of his stomach and examined the room After a moment she frowned It was not like any room she’d ever seen It was all wood, crammed with cupboards and chests

"What is this place?"

"We’re in Mirela’s wagon You’llwhen she coain Sadly, you’ll be awake for it this tiain She watched as he effortlessly sank down onto the pallet beside her bed, one aron? That’s very kind of them"

"Oh, they’re not entirely altruistic"

"What do youis free in this world Everything has its price" Truer words had never been said Hadn’t Jack, in effect, bought a duke for her?

"You’re paying them?"

"They need to survive, too"

She considered this before replying "People do what they have to" Just like she would She would do what she ain The one cast into the river She wouldn’t be naive and stupid again

His head tipped to the side As though he didn’t expect her to say that

She continued gazing at hi rew uncoet

"You said nothing is free in this world I simply wondered what manner of recompense you expected"

He spoke at last "I did notabout this man He held hian to suspect that it wasn’t just her but conversation, people in general, that disco in a way that hinted at his lack of comfort