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The hell with it

He had stopped drea of her altogether He still did, thoughfroiven the chance to do it over, he wouldn’t have fled England He would have carried his wife upstairs and thrown her on the bed, and made her understand how he felt about her But it was too late for that: those drealand for hione seven years before they could declare him dead Well, in a mere month or two, he would have been at sea for two years Pinkler-Ryburn was a decent fellow; he’d assume the title in five years if Ja all ties to England would extinguish, for once and all, this odd and sha to return home to her

He could hear Daisy’s voice as clear as a bell in his ear when she had told hie was over And when she had said that another man would fall in love with her, a better man than he

That was easy enough to iine James had never loathed anyone as much in his life as he loathed himself

He shouted, and his man popped in the door "Throw that lot overboard," he ordered, nodding at the cloth The athered the cloth into his arms and scurried from the cabin

An hour later, James had a shaved head and a sht eye He appropriated a naer be needing it, and gave it to hi live Jack Hawk

Because James Ryburn, Earl of Islay and Duke of Ashbrook, was dead

Fifteen

June 1811

Ryburn House, Staffordshire

Duchy of Ashbrook

Theo ran a hand through her short hair, loving the fact that her head felt light and free She’d cropped her hair the day after her retted it "What did you say, Ma"

"May I offer you a piece of apple cake?"

"No, thank you"

"YouTheo a piece of cake nonetheless "You do nothing but work, darling Work, work, work"

"There’s a great deal of work to be done," Theo said reasonably "And youquite well, Ma our very first ceramics sometime this month And the Ryburn Weavers has fourteen new orders Fourteen!" She couldn’t help a triuht

"That’s all very well," Mrs Saxby said, "but you look al"