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CHAPTER ONE

A dark figure silently ee and Eht revealed the intruder's features and she gave a grunt of shock which she swiftly disguised as irritation 'Must you looave a frown 'I thought you were in the Baha here?'

'I knew you'd be delighted to seehas it been?' Erin 'Actually it was the Seychelles,' he corrected

'So aside a few miles of ocean with an airy wave of her hand

'Talking of hot, infant, why are you skulking in the conservatory?' He loosened his tie as he spoke and idly plucked a juicy grape from the vine which was trained above his head

Eravation as she watched hi childhood term with benevolent scorn Luke had always made the most of the fact that he elve years her senior, and as a child 'infant' had always been able to send her into an incoherent rage She was sure that despite his negligent s about Luke were calculated and hisher own fa a little privacy,' she said pointedly, refusing to notice theto spoil the euphoria of the occasion

'It is an incredibly tedious party,' he said syrind your teeth like that; it's very bad for the enamel,' he advised her helpfully

'If it's such a tedious party I don't knohy you bothered co,' she hissed back 'No one invited you'

'What? Miss an occasion like this—ation'

She gave a derisory hoot 'You wouldn't recognise obligation if you fell over it; and as for being your favourite…'His opinion of her faave her cause to consider this casual comment a compliment

'Admittedly there's not much competition: Charlotte sends me to sleep if I spend more than five minutes in her company, and your brother has the wit and charht be able to tolerate hioted bore every time he opens his mouth'

'My sister…' E In all sincerity she couldn't help syness made it almost impossible for her to be civil to him Fortunately their paths crossed little, but she felt instantly protective of her sister Charlotte iant but there was ested

'Is so two-dimensional I half expect her to disappear viewed sideways on'

'You are incredibly snide and unpleasant to her and she suspects there's so you say'

'And do I inspire similar inarticulate awe in you?'

'I know there's so you say,' she responded frankly 'And if you've coht, I warn you, Luke…if you pull one of your tricks…'

Luke took a step forward and she could see his features clearly for the first time The innocent expression should have looked absurd on the severely chiselled, swarthily dark features, but it didn't He had changed little over the four years since she'd last seen hi beauty, she knew she had more to recommend her now than as the aard, confused adolescent she had been then Fortunately she was also now ilittered in the intensely blue eyes 'Tricks, Emily…?'

She clicked her tongue with disapproval recalling the occasions he'd turned up at faeared to offend the stuffy for the voluptuous actress he'd brought to her parents' silver wedding celebrations Her father had tried so hard to avoid the lady's ae, without much success Luke had obviously been behind the woly tactile adrapher who had captured the ossip colu…

'Straight from the plane' He rubbed his jaw 'Didn't even have ti Aren't you flattered, Eh 'You little sceptic—here, feel'

Emily was too startled to de the pads of her fingertips against the coarse, dark growth She blinked to banish a sudden flurry of confusion as her eyes ard 'Don't be ridiculous,' she snapped, pulling her hand away She looked pointedly at his fingers, very brown against her arm Luke sers had trailed over the blue-veined inner aspect of her wrist