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"You’re not going to let uilty about this are you?"

"No Co, he drew her to her feet and kissed her She would never tire of his kisses, never tire of--

A knock on the door brought their prelude to love to an end

The butler stepped inside and announced, "Your Grace, Lords Blackwood and Jalance with her "Would you care to wager that it was Lady Anne Hayworth on the ship with hi softly, she shook her head It ho

Under the circuh the front door Her brothers wouldn’t be happy to see hi that they had confronted him at Sebastian’s this afternoon and informed hirudgingly allow him to speak with her in the parlor But quite honestly he felt a need to see her without anyone knowing

So he was perched on the sill of her atching her She sat on a sofa before the fireplace In spite of the warht a fire burned in the hearth and he wondered if revealing their little trysts had chilled her But what struck hi frohts that awaited her if he remained in her life Until this moment he wasn’t certain that he’d quite co with him would cost her

He slipped into the room and walked over to the fireplace She barely aze froainst the mantel

"Why did you tell the lost, she shook her head "Because they thought you were a , yet all of London would believe her over you I suppose my father and brothers paid you a call"

"They did"

"Did you tell theo to the devil?"

He’d wanted to "No, I told them that I’d marry you if it hat you wanted"

She released a brittle laugh "How many ladies receive two proposals in one day? Yours isn’t quite as char dark and possessive shot through him "He asked?"

"Yes, just before we discovered the trouble that Lady Her up"

"What did you tell hi less than a lady"

His hand began to ache and he realized he was gripping thethrough the skin He loosened his grip "Did you want to marry him?"

"It’s all moot now He’d not have me Besides, he deserves someone who is above reproach"