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"Didn’t you just reen said

"Yes Love seems to me a fatal mistake Think of Lord Maitland versus the Duke of Holbrook, for exaive me--rash, ill-teive hily polite on all occasions and has accepted his illegitimate brother into his family without a qualm Moreover"--she smiled--"he is, as you say, attractive"

"He’s plu in quicksand

Gillian shrugged

How could Iht she looked docile? Now she saw that Gillian’s lips were dark cherry, and her eyelashes were tinged with black color, reen sparkle "I like a man to have heft about him," she remarked "It is obvious that you do not care for hien said quickly "I dislike drunkards"

"It’s my lamentable hardheadedness," Gillian replied "Holbrook is not a fool He may have been a drunkard, but he doesn’t have the look of a cruel h I ht since I saw him last"

"He hasn’t eaten properly since he stopped drinking"

"Hopefully he will recover his good health in the near future," Gillian said

"Do you have the sense that Rafe is interested in wo a feen’s nod, "I didn’t think that I had to put on a low-necked dress in order to interest hih I could feel it when I was here with Draven, last year"

"Oh," Iht My sister Tess always said the sa," Gillian said co room? Now that we are both party to our surreptitious plans, I ht as well tell you that I would prefer that the duke not take up drinking again It is much easier to handle a husband who is not soaked in liquor, although I would never wish to becoen said abruptly "I can’t bear it when he drinks"

"Well, I suppose given your connection to hi the door "There is nothing more objectionable, inout a spouse’s shortcos I doubt I shall ever dabble in the subject; it’s so horrid when a wife is plaguing her husband to death over that kind of thing"

"Youout the door behind her "He’ll kill hiain"

"I trust not," Gillian said "At any rate, if he’s given it up, I shan’t have to think about it at all I believe I shall try to bring about our engagement as soon as possible Once the ton realizes that he’s sober, themamas will be out in force A sober Duke of Holbrook will be theoddly unsettled at the thought

"So ith one thing and another," Gillian said, s room, "this project to put on Mr Spenser’s play is quite fortuitous"

"I see that," Ien said slowly

She looked over Gillian’s shoulder and there was Rafe, standing by theAs always, her gaze flew to his hand, but he wasn’t nursing a golden glass of liquor He was staring out theGillian was right His gut was definitely reduced It looked al to her, her eyes dancing "He’s quite appealing, isn’t he? I’entleernails Your Rafe is a brute A great brute of a en tried to smile Was she blind that she didn’t see him as a brute of a man? When she looked at Rafe, all she saas the way he stood alone, staring out the , and hadn’t even realized that they’d entered the roo And he was looking down at her, and then he was laughing

He never used to laugh, back when he was drinking Chuckle, definitely But Gillian had hien turned away