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Tess regained consciousness suddenly and woke fighting One moment she was limp under Byfleet’s hands, the next she had lashed out for his face Alex caught her wrists before she could make contact ‘Hush Lie still, you are safe withyou’

‘Alex’ She let hian to smile at Byfleet, then stopped with a hiss of pain

‘The doctor and my housekeeper are on their way Are you hurt anywhere other than your face?’

She lay still, obviously thinking about it ‘My ankle—I had to run Andround and hit a wall’

There had been irl, defenceless The instinct to punch soet his hands around throats and not let go

Byfleet e her ankle ‘The doctor will need to look at this, my lord It is very swollen’

‘Who was it?’ Alex asked, trying to keep the fury out of his voice

Tess shrugged, winced ‘Goodness knows, just two ht they’d found easy prey in the dark’

‘How did you get away?’

‘I kneed one of theroin and then hit the other round the ear withThen I ran and there was a hackney He’d just put down a fare, so I scrambled in’

‘Yes Of course you did,’ Alex said faintly A defenceless slip of a girl? Perhaps not ‘After you had hit one bully, emasculated another and run on a sprained ankle Why the blazes aren’t you tucked up in bed at the convent?’ he demanded

Tess grimaced at his tone ‘Because I am a fallen woman, undoubtedly your mistress and unfit for decent company’