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"Try tres coquette," Cristobel said in a ravishing French accent She turned to one of her guards "Now, darling, if you would just do , one of the burly men had hoisted Cristobel directly onto the wine barrel next to I Cristobel hed down at the crowd "Aren’t we the prettiest ladies for leagues around?"

They roared their approval

Rafe looked up at I how quickly he could pull her down and bust their way out of the roouards if he had to If Cristobel said one indecent thing--

"Nowfriend isn’t as ripe in the business as I a, of course

Rafe cursed under his breath Ien didn’t look scared She had a hand on her hip and a little s, and a satin dress as gaudy as a parrot’s feather, there was no real coen was bone-deep beautiful and gloith the kind of laughter and sensuality that would take a hter was of a harder sort, still laughter, but deeper,friend!" Cristobel shouted The rooen’s shoulder, took up a saucy pose, and began to sing "A Puritan of late, and also a Holy Sister …"

And that’s when Rafe had the greatest shock of the evening Because Ien shook out her skirts and with an impudent smile for him, joined Cristobel’s husky alto with a clear soprano: "She, a Babe of Grace, A child of the Refor were beside themselves The tomen stood next to each other on the cask, both of them with one hand on a hip and the other curled over each other’s shoulder, both of the is over, Rafe thought, she comes down and we leave Before soht’s co every other line now

"He laid her on the ground" I"

She doesn’t knohat ferking is, Rafe thought But damn, every ing to play Puritan to her Holy Sister The wo in unison as they launched into the last verse Rafe saw Hynde fighting his way across the rooht watch didn’t get called He turned around to grab Ien the very moment the last word left her lips

But just as they rounded into a rousing last line, there was a sharp crack, like a en’s face, hera birthday pony for the first time

Then a tide of red wine reared out of the barrel as the top cracked and flipped to the side and with sied down in the wine barrel up to their waists

There was a moment of astounded silence in the rooen fro, and sut red wine He pulled her up in the air, droplets of red wine flinging in a seainst his chest, if only to stop every own appeared to have beenall the wine off Ien’s body, and it wasn’t even for the alcohol

Cristobel was still inside the barrel, leaning against the side and laughing She was surrounded by strong ar in to rescue her With sudden decisiveness she leaned forward and chose a sturdy young man in a weather-beaten white shirt

He looked clean, reen color "I choose you," Cristobel said, drawing his head toward hers

Ien’s mouth nearly fell open She’d never seen a kiss like that The young far chest, heedless of the splashes of red wine that instantly stained his shirt She leaned back against his ar the surface of the wine Without another word, he plucked her from the wine and carried her from the room

The men fell back as he strode toward the door Cristobel had a sleepy, languorous sht such as he never knew before

Ie?" Rafe asked Theabout how next ti for her reply, he began drawing her toward the door The coh to ns of such ladylike behavior

Hynde was holding the door open with a look on his face that signaled a wish to be paid for a barrel of wine

"Who was the en asked suddenly "He was no simple farmer, was he?"

There was a clink as Rafe’s hand met Hynde’s and then he pulled her out into the velvet black night, looking for their carriage Finally, he saw it, backed against a stand of trees