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"Roberts," Quin said His deep voice sent shivers down her spine "Her Grace doubtless has some use of you in the back of the house"

Roberts was too well trained to show even a flicker of curiosity He bowed and left as quietly as Quin had entered

Only then did Olivia turn

He was er in a dark blue superfine coat that brought out the green of his eyes

The look in those eyes had her retreating a step "Quin!" she squeaked, breathless, silly, like a girl of thirteen

"You summoned me," he said, direct as always "And here I am, Olivia I hope you meant it, because I think I shall never be able to resist you"

She couldn’t think what to say He was so beautifullean and powerful and muscled Even his hair was extraordinary

Whereas she was plump and ordinary

He closed the space between the him so close just made the contrast between them even more obvious This was impossible He took her hands in his and raised the another shiver down Olivia’s spine

"I’m fat," she blurted out

"You are not fat You’re the most beautiful, voluptuous woman I know" His eyes moved down her body, deliberately, slowly, then back to her face What she saw in theh her storowling it "I want to fall on my knees and worship at your hips" He reached out, shaped her curves fro sweep of his hand that a ive only his wife

But Olivia couldn’t bear it if he found hiretful laterif she ever saw the disenchantment in his eyes that she saw so constantly in her ood duchess I don’t think the dowager likes iana In fact, I’m fairly sure that she would be appalled by the very idea of yourme"

"That’s precisely whyreen eyes were soshe’d never dreamed a man would look at her like that

But she had a list, a mental list, of characteristics that disqualified her for the position of Duchess of Sconce "I make coarse jokes That is, hed, even though his face was corine taught me ere boys There once was a lady fro one day in the lake"

He paused, waitedan invitation Olivia could feel herself turning pink

"A man in a punt," she said softly, "Stuck his pole in the water"

He picked up the verse "And said: ‘You can’t swim here--it’s private’ The truth is that I never really understood it A that the lady is fro in the nude rather than a lake?"

"Yes"

"I do understand the pole But once you have to explain it, the verse is not very funny Are you certain that you want to be with someone who not only can divest every bawdy pun of its humor, but must, in order to see the point?"

"Are you certain you want to be with someone who doesn’t share your love of science? I’m afraid"

"What, dear heart?"

"You’ll be bored with me" She said it in a rush "I can’t talk about the quality of light, and if you tell me about mathematical functions, I truly will fall asleep I have a very trivial mind"

"You understand emotion; I don’t That doesn’t mean that s Why should I bore you with talking aboutlike a sob rose up in her throat

"Will you teach our children bawdy verses as nursery rhymes?" he asked