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"I will not allow you to turn a discussion about your safety into an argument about independence and the drawbacks of matrimony"

"Won’t allow I see Is this acceptance and rejection of acquaintances reciprocal? Can I forbid you to meet with Lord Westfield?"

"You are deliberately baitingto discern where the boundaries are, and if they apply equally to both of us"

"Westfield is no danger to anyone"

"Maybe I know soed "Of course, if I follow your example, I don’t have to share what I knoith you"

She looked away to hide the prickling of tears and saw Lord Montague approaching Her shoulders went back

"Miss Martin" Montague kissed the back of the hand she extended to him, then released her with a stately dip of his head He looked at Jasper "Mr Bond May I extend felicitations to you?"

Jasper’s lips curved in a teeth-baring smile "You may, my lord I accept theidness of her posture betrayed the op-positional nature of her conversation with Jasper, but she was too frustrated to care overmuch

"Is it too ht still have room on your dance card for me?"

"The next waltz is yours"

A tic in Jasper’s jaw filled her with acrimonious satisfaction

She’d deliberately withheld the evening’s taltzes Not for Montague, but as a token gesture for Jasper She had intended for her next waltz to be with hih it would take weeks for him to learn the steps and absorb them into ue said "Although not to the saree as you, Mr Bond"

"So it seems" Jasper’s features were set in hard lines

The orchestra played a few brief notes to alert the guests that the next dance would soon begin Eliza gratefully excused herself and searched for her partner, Baron Bri fro becaret She disliked that they’d quarreled Worse, she disliked herself

Jasper watched Eliza walk aith undue haste and berated hiuhtly with her or risk her thrusting issues of money and independence between the rashly The surprise of learning that she’d , yet his ignorance was his own fault Lynd had called upon hi the daily reports in order to accommodate his old mentor

How could he have been so careless? He lived by rigid schedules and ti s his error by expelling the anger that should rightly have been self-directed only made the situation worse He’d now caused a rift between him and Eliza that he could ill-afford

"You have Byron’s brooding countenance ue said "I didn’t try that tactic when atte to woo Miss Martin"

Jasper’s head turned slowly, his expression altering to reveal no emotion whatsoever He and his half-brother were nearly of a height The sih that Jasper shifted slightly to put more distance between them "I cannot say I’ue smiled and rocked back on his heels, blissfully oblivious to the resemblance between them and the reason for it "You are somewhat of a mystery, Mr Bond"