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Before Anne could respond to her assuirl turned to Tristan "But I must claim the next dance, my lord Please"

"It will be my pleasure Perhaps Lord Jameson will partner with you for this dance"

"I don’t take anotheron his heel and striding away

Anne gasped at her brother’s callousness but Lady Hermione didn’t seeirl heard nothing that was not uttered by Lord Tristan

"If you’ll excuse us?" Tristan said to Lady Her Anne his arh she’d stepped into the middle of some sort of drahtly "I shall wait here with bated breath for your return"

He arched a brow at Anne, and in spite of her reservations, suddenly well aware that they were capturing the attention of others standing nearby, she placed her hand on his arm

"What is she to you?" she heard herself ask as he escorted her toward the dance floor

"An annoyance"

"She seemed incredibly save her reason to believe she was anything o"

He took her in his arms and swept her over the floor, and God help her--if he had danced with such skill two years ago, if he had gazed on the girl with the intensity that he now gazed at Anne, she could well understand how Lady Herht have fallen under his spell He was so very masculine, so very earthy She had succuh Why shouldn’t every other lady in the room?

"You should have told me who you were," she said, her words clipped because she had to shore her resolve that things between them were over

"Why?"

"Because you made a fool of me"

"That was never my intention Nor did I ever intend to return to this ht who has expressed dissatisfaction over htened "I can’t stop thinking about you I wanted to ht That your fa"

She laughed lightly "Why ever would they do that?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders without iven a scolding but nothing worse than that But they wouldn’t send me ahen they are quite desperate forwith earlieris he whom they wish you to marry?"