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"How vexing," Griselda said, turning back to Gabe al

Rafe wasn’t so cast away that he didn’t notice the coquettish way that Josie’s chaperone was fluttering her eyelashes at Gabe Nothing wrong with that Griselda was a lovely little bundle of womanhood, with a hefty estate left by her late husband She could raise little Mary

What’s ood-hearted woen,her sister Annabel fro much in itself, but when you’re the sort of person whose stoe ride, the trip takes on different proportions And yet she’d accoen on her harebrained scheether better spouse for

Gabe than would I toward his brother Of course, I her eyelashes: not for her, a feen was truly dangerous At theat Gabe as if the sun and moon rose in his eyes

I’ve seen that look before, Rafe thought to hilass Poor Draven Maitland… the last time he saw Maitland alive was just down the table fro Gabe with the sa with interest; Rafe could alnaled forto discover why Rafe and Gabe had spent the lastHolbrook Court’s private theater

"You do remember how enamored my mother was of her theater," Rafe said

"Of course I are of the duchess’s interest in the stage," Griselda said, turning to him "Yet I fail to see how your mother’s passion for the theater she built has led to its refurbishing"

Rafe had found that people tended to forget he was there, for all he was sprawled at the head of the table Not Miss Poisonous Ih disapproving looks to keep him on his toes, no matter howite the fact that even he could hear that his baritone had darkened to soht small canoes At least three chandeliers A thunder barrel"

"What’s a thunder barrel?" Ien asked

"A few old cannonballs trapped in a wine cask It’s quite loud; I tried it"

"Perhaps you should put on a perforen said "Just think how impressive it would be when the thunder roared fro his voice slur slightly "Whatever we produce has to have a female lead"

"What has the lead to do with it?" Griselda said, turning to him "It’s true that theatrical perforet the dear Duchess of Marlborough’s interest in the theater, nor Dowager Lady Townsend’s passion for her private stage But it would be entirely unacceptable for Ie in a lead role unless it was a performance for the fa his head aze, she had guessed that his head was spinning "We’re inviting souests"

Iht eyebrow shot up "So many? To this point you have concealed your passion to entertain the public very well, Rafe"

"Yes, haven’t I?" Rafe said, recklessly finishing his drink even though he kneell enough that he would feel like death the nextto feel unhappy He had to cut back on the whiskey

Griselda was chattering about a perforanized "Now the war is over, one can certainly do a French play," she was saying, "and there can be no censure attached to a private performance Of course, with French plays there is so often a French song, and that is highly unfortunate"