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It had been exactly his purpose, and for that reason Gareth didn’t say anything Not a word

“You’ll rue this,” Hyacinth hissed “You will rue the day Trust me”

“Oh, really?”

“As your future wife,” she said, her eyes flashing dangerously, “I can make your life hell on earth”

Of that, Gareth had no doubt, but he decided to deal with that problem when he came to it “This is not about what happened between us earlier,” he said, “and it is not about anything you may or may not have heard the baron say What this is about—”

“Oh, for the love of—” Hyacinth cut herself off in the nick of time “Who do you think you are?”

He ja to erton soon-to-be St Clair, will never ever wander the streets of London without a chaperone, at any time of day”

For a , and he almost let himself think that she was touched by his concern for her safety But then, she just stepped back and said, “It’s a rather convenient time to develop a sense of propriety”

He resisted the urge to grab her by the shoulders and shake—barely “Do you have any idea how I felt when I caone? Did you even stop to think about what ht have happened to you before you ran off on your own?”

One of her brows lifted into a perfectly arrogant arch “Nothing ht here”

As strikes went, it was perfectly aimed, and Gareth nearly flinched But he held on to his temper, and his voice was cool as he said, “You don’t ht think you ive you for it”

She stood still, utterly and completely still save for the rise and fall of her chest Her hands were fists at her sides, and her face was growing redder and redder

“Don’t you ever,” she finally said, her voice low and clipped and terribly controlled, “speak to ain And don’t you ever presume to know my mind”

“Don’t worry, it’s a claim I’m seldom likely to make”

Hyacinth sed—her only show of nerves before saying, “I want you to leave”