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Chapter 1

contubernal (noun) One who occupies the saht of Percy Prewitt as my contubernal causes me to break out in hives

--Froland

July 3, 1814

Caroline Trent hadn't meant to shoot Percival Prewitt, but she had, and noas dead

Or at least she thought he was dead There was certainly enough blood It was dripping from the walls, it was splattered on the floor, and the bedclothes were stained quite beyond redemption Caroline didn't know very much about medicine, but she was fairly certain a body couldn't lose thattrouble now

"Daentlewoentle circue occasionally left a bit to be desired

"You stupid man," she said to the body on the floor "Why did you have to lunge at h alone? I told your father I wasn't going to marry you I told him I wouldn't marry you if you were the last idiot in Britain"

She nearly stamped her foot in frustration Why was it her words never came out quite the way she intended them to? "What I meant to say was that you are an idiot," she said to Percy, who, not surprisingly, didn't respond, "and that I wouldn't marry you if you were the lastto you, anyway? You're quite dead"

Caroline groaned What the devil was she supposed to do now? Percy's father was due to return in just two short hours, and it didn't require an Oxford degree to deduce that Oliver Preould not be pleased to find his son dead on the floor

"Bother your father," she ground out "This is all his fault, anyway If he hadn't been so obsessed with catching you an heiress …"

Oliver Preas Caroline's guardian, or at least he would be for the next six weeks, until she reached her twenty-first birthday She had been counting down the days until August 14, 1814, ever since August 14, 1813, when she had turned twenty Just forty-two days to go Forty-two days and she would finally have control of her life and her fortune She didn't even want to think about how h

She tossed her gun onto the bed, planted her hands on her hips, and stared down at Percy

And then … his eyes opened

"Aaaaaaack!" Caroline let out a loud screaun

"You b--" Percy started

"Don't say it," she warned "I still have a gun"

"You wouldn't use it," he gasped, coughing and clutching at his bloody shoulder