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Kind regards,

Miss Minerva Chase

She dusted the paper and then carefully folded the note, rising again to ring the bell Attending the ball would do her good as well Not only would it give her a break froive her an opportunity to find a suitor before her father had the chance

Lord Dartagnan Darlington, The Duke of Darlington, sat across froh many

a lurid tryst and tried to keep his poker face in place Jack knew hi to his friend exceptionally difficult “Do you have any plans with E to keep his voice light

Which was odd in and of itself He had a naturally deep and ru baritone ht banter about ladies

Jack squinted an eye “Odd question” His friend turned his head to the side “Daring,” he asked, using Dartagnan’s nickname at the club

Actually, Jack had a nickna had known Jack since before the club and soton as just Jack “What?”

“Are you feeling all right? You’re not acting like yourself”

Tag snapped his teeth together This was not going the way he’d planned He needed to redirect the conversation quickly “I’m fine The last time I saw E I’m concerned for you”

Jack gri me”

Tag’s gut clenched with guilt He’d wanted to distract Jack, not hurt him When Emily had walked into the back room of their secret club with her sisters and cousins in tow, their livelihood, at least the fun part of it, had been jeopardized If word got out they ran the club, it would ruin the mystery that surrounded their identities and could cost thereatest assets was the mystery that surrounded its owners Men theorized they were pirates, highwaymen, or cutthroats No one ever concocted a story that declared the club run by a duke and his fellow peers “Sorry, chap I was just worried You’ve patched things up with her?”

Jack splayed his fingers on the desk “More or less” He cleared his throat “But she’s been exceptionally nervous and her sisters and cousins—” Jack’s head popped up “Who you’ve obviously met”

Tag gave a curt nod trying to disguise that the sisters and cousins were the exact reason he’d couely remember them”

Jack cocked a brow “Oh please Flanited between you and Minnie”

He snorted despite hiht red hair” Fiery shades of copper as glaring as her personality

It was Jack’s turn to snort “Daring I knohen you’re attracted to a woman”

Tag lowered his brow, leaning forward “This time you misunderstand It was not attraction I was honestly stunned and appalled by the woman A more flamboyant example of feminine attributes has never crossed my path”

Jack pushed back in his chair, arching a brow “More flaypsies you hired one year for ht to—”

“Point rated “They oranddaughter of an earl She should a have more sedated decorum”

Jack stared at hiree on that point There is little that is sedated about Minnie She does everything with a great deal of zest, energy, and enthusias with dukes”

Tag’s ht of one activity in particular where zest, energy, and enthusiasm would play out nicely The acts he pictured also involved thatdown her shoulders and onto his, spilling across his pillow For a moment, his eyes closed

After the ladies had left the club that evening, Jack had gone with them The rest of their friends and fellow club owners had stayed behind That’s when the five men had decided they needed tohell And so they’d devised a plan Each of them would watch one of the ladies to ensure she was trustworthy A fact-finding endeavor

One of their friends, Exile, a brawny Scot with a noble heart, had insisted they keep their activities appropriate If they didn’t, he’d personally see the couldn’t have that yet He’d irl who bore him a few children and didn’t ask too much of him emotionally or otherwise A woman like Minnie was too spirited, too like the woman who’d nearly wrecked his life and his soul six years before