Page 15 (1/2)

"I shall infor tone Rather like a queen

He placed her gently on Cleese’s sofa, then threw a shovelful of coal into the stove and gave it a stir Yellow fla the stove door shut, and they threw out enough light so that he got a good look at her face She was furious, eyes narrowed, arms wound around her chest as if he were a ravisher

He would be happy to oblige

Her dog had hopped onto the sofa as well, and was perched next to Miss Lytton The beast was only slightly larger than a Bible, but she had the fierce eyes of an attack dog

In fact, Lucy and Miss Lytton had a certain reseh not in the nose

A person would always knohat Miss Lytton was thinking, he realized, lighting the Argand lamp on Cleese’s sideboard At the e

"If you don’t fetch your o Dis barked a sharp underline to that threat

He felt a strange sensation bubbling up in his chest It took a second before he realized it was laughter "You’re going to haveat er than ayou soh Histo appreciate Miss Lytton’s colorful use of the English language "I cannot lose my position I was born to it"

"Even a family retainer should not be tolerated if he oversteps the bounds of propriety"

That sounded faintly fa his mother said It created an odd contrast toterut instinct, Quin took a step toward her, just enough so that he caught her enticing scent again He expected her to scream at him, but she didn’t

"I am not a footic and reason--the world that Quin inhabited on a regular basis--peeled away "And you are very beautiful," he added

She blinked And then, just as if she were the vicar’s wife and he was a man who’d suddenly lost his mind, he bent his head and brushed his lips over hers

They were soft and berry colored, like a raspberry tart It was a gentle kiss, at least until he pulled her against his chest His body turned to flaave a silent groan and put a hand to her cheek, tilting her head so that he could kiss her again

Her cheek was very cold to the touch He straightened, reluctantly "I had better fetch you a blanket"

That snapped the invisible thread that had kept thee flooded back into her eyes Quin felt a deep sense of rightness He could read her, just like a book

"I suppose you are the duke," she said stiffly "I realize now that you sound like one, though Ilike one"

"I a around references to willies, whether belonging to small rodents or other mammals The last time I heard that word I was five years old"