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Mr Langdon was rather late in arriving, having spent some hours in conference with Mr Desmond, then a few reed that, whatever the upshot of his current plans, the ruly,the story off Their dismissal of the scandal sheet was sufficiently scornful to raise doubts in the h naturally they could not admit it—were made to feel ridiculous indeed

Thus the radually softened, and soon Delilah had most, if not all, her partners back

Though she re with her had soed to think ht make and break, he had done her a service That hen he returned a while later to beg for a second dance, she acquiesced, though she had made it a rule never to dance with any known rake

Mr Langdon, who had kept count, was instantly outraged when he saw Lord Berne claim her a second tiuests were sure to remark this aberration and speculate upon it—as if they did not already have h to say about Miss Desmond

Accordingly, Jack took up a martial stance by Lady Potterby When Delilah returned to her chaperone and her next partner appeared, Mr Langdon curtly informed the bewildered major that he had made a mistake

The soldier wisely retreated before Mr Langdon’s baleful glare, and an irate Delilah found herself being hauled to the dance floor

“What do you think you’re doing?” she fumed

“Confounding the enemy,” he said “And if you have any nous at all, you’ll endeavour to appear as imbecilely fascinated with all the rest of your partners as you did with Lord Berne”

“Imbecile? How dare you?”

“You were hanging on his every word,” her partner answered

“Because he was talking sense”

“Tony has never talked sense in his entire life”

The dance separated them briefly, but when she returned to face her partner, Miss Des

“Evidently,” she snapped, “Lord Berne has been saving up all his sense for when it was et Papa’s“A plan, Mr Langdon Not just pretending nothing’s happened and keeping a stiff upper lip”

Mr Langdon’s upper lip, along with the rest of his countenance, did stiffen at this He’d altogether forgotten Tony’s aspirations Naturally he’d want to dash to her rescue—and he had the necessary resources His father had tre a book collector, was sure to have useful connexions—which Miss Des out when the dance required they separate once more

Abruptly Mr Langdon’s own plans seeain he felt honour bound to agree with her

“I’m sure Tony has an excellent plan,” said Jack, “as well as theyour pardon My re his pardon as well If he’s proentleman of honour would—make a promise he wasn’t sure he could keep”

Since the day he’d made his dramatic exit froiven the ht The manuscript was his father’s problem The son’s was Miss Desmond, and she had become even more of an obsession with him than the memoirs seemed to be with everyone else

Nothing would move her She was indifferent to the viscount’s beauty and unresponsive to his irresistible charm He’d pursued her forhis aims than he’d been at the start Nonetheless, he refused to believe the situation was hopeless She was onlythan other woh for her At the gala he’d discovered loyalty wasn’t enough, either He would have to be heroic as well

In the heat of the h, but by the followingunhappily upon the reckless promise he’d made

He’d assuot it Now the viscount had no idea what his parent was about, nor did he wish to know Whatever Lord Streetham’s intentions, they were bound to be at odds with his son’s

Instead, therefore, of beginning with his father, Lord Berne began with Mr Atkins Or tried to Mr Atkins, as Miss Desmond had told the viscount, was not to be found