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Olivia pulled her duht, and as tall as possible, and said with icy precision, "I will respond only to the claih I will note that your incivility warrants no response at all My parents may not be members of the aristocracy themselves, Your Grace, but they are related to peers on both sides In fact, eneration longer than the Sconces can clai, no one in er’s boso a balloon ascension Olivia had once seen in Hyde Park "I was referring not to your birth," she said, biting the words with frigid disdain, "but to your manners"

"I like the way Olivia looks," Quin said, intervening For the first ti in it "In fact, I adore the way she looks And I think her manner is perfect for a duchess"

"I’h in her cheeks and her black eyes glinted with anger

"What do you mean by that?" Olivia demanded

"I mean that you are eline He adored her appearance as well, and found out too late that all that wanton sensuality tends to mask a woman who should be flattered to be called a trollop"

"Mother" Quin’s voice was now as icy as hisyou, for the sake of all of us, to modify your voice and behavior"

"I will not" The duchess was clearly beside herself "The Duke of Canterroteon Olivia with the look of aa threat to her cub

Olivia waited, head high

"Have you infor the heir to the Canterwick title? You will note that I say nothing here about the fact that you are unmarried; that the duke is reportedly such an innocent that you almost certainly hteen Those are such deeply unpleasant facts that one can only hope that no one outside your immediate family ever learns thehly of you"

"Are you threatening er actually backed up a step, but then linked her hands at her waist and stood her ground "Certainly not Those of us in the peerage have no need to resort to methods such as you clearly envision"

Quin met Olivia’s eyes with a silent question

"No heir," she ed

"Mother!" Quin’s voice was lethal, and cold as ice "You will show me the courtesy to instruct your servants that you will be leaving for the dower house on the rounds, but that attached to Kilmarkie, our Scottish estate"

To Olivia’s surprise, it was she--and not the dowager--who blurted out "No!" in response to this coer was utterly silent for a heartbeat Then she bowed her head and descended into a curtsy

Olivia grabbed Quin’s arently

He frowned at her "I don’t--"

"Your ree about what is best for you without your interfering!"