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She put cool fingers to her fla cheeks It seeht
And what if Rob had been hoaze out the libraryand seen her, clinging to Lord Tavener like some Covent Garden strumpet?
The spiral of sensation in her gut abruptly stilled At the least, Rob would have been disappointed; at worst, he ht have felt she’d dishonored him and his household
Proving Sapphira correct in her estira’s character
Well, such a thing e now of the full extent of her weakness for Lord Tavener Sheadvances she had just found, to her sha
Did the necessity to be ive up his friendship, too? she wondered wistfully It had been kind of him to worry about her so ainst Sapphira Not since Papa died had anyone been that protective of her welfare
Though she had to laugh, recalling how, brow creased and hands clenched into fists, he’d talked of wanting to deal with Lady Lynton himself Uncle Robert’s ould probably faint dead away if she ever saw directed toward her the ra remembered upon Tavener’s face when he’d scared off Lord Wofford last night He truly was the entlemen
Resolving to figure out a way to rera forced her thoughts away fro countenance and back to the problem of Sapphira
What would be best to do about the wo Tavener’s description of her tawdry schera felt her lip curl in contempt Trust Sapphira to look for so the disreputable work for her Though as she’d told Tavener, Allegra was not particularly worried about the plan, if Sapphira did entlera could not be easily seduced, he h she remained confident she would be able to escape such a ht need help, and in coht be injured That, she couldn’t allow
Better, therefore, toher schera set her lips in a firm line She’d confront her this very day
Allegra rang the bell and asked Lizzie to let her knohen Sapphira awakened froed in her bed sipping chocolate and reading the society pages before su
Alerted an hour later, Allegra walked down the hall, rapped twice and entered Lady Lynton’s bedchamber
Since she’d never before sought out her aunt, Allegra was not surprised to see that Sapphira looked startled before her eyes narrowed in annoyance
“What do you think you’re doing, invading my bedchamber?” Sapphira demanded
“I should rather ask what you think you are doing,” Allegra replied calmly “But then, I already know Lord Tavener told me what you proposed to him, madam A dreadfully common scheme, don’t you think, Aunt Sapphira?”
Sapphira’s blue eyes opened wide “Tavener told you…! Why, that…that brigand! Isaid by a man of his stamp? If he speaks spitefully of me, ’tis only because I rebuffed his distasteful advances—”
“Oh, shut it,” Allegra interrupted “As I said nothing specific about what he’d alleged, your very denial convicts you, so spareyou could think of to ruin my presentation from the moment Rob informed you I was to have one Thus far I have kept silent, but no longer Your distasteful little gaaze on Sapphira and waited
Lady Lynton lifted an ih Allegra doubted her glare was as forbidding as Tavener’s, apparently it ell enough, for after a few moments of hard scrutiny, Sapphira broke the silence to ask, an edge of nervousness in her voice, “What do you mean to do?”
“If I learn you are hatching any more schemes to discredit me, I shall tell Rob what Lord Tavener told me”
Sapphira’s eyes widened with dismay for an instant before she set her face in an expression of disdain that did not quite e to mask her concern “You wouldn’t dare repeat such nonsense to Lynton He’d dismiss it in a moment with the contempt it deserves”