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“Greentree Manor isn’t far” Francesca was eyeing hiht fall over at any ly “Are you certain you can walk, Mr Thorne?”

“Of course I can walk!”

She lifted an eyebrow in disbelief

In reply, he strode off up the hill, just to show her She followed, and for a ti, she slipped his arm over her shoulders to support him

He sighed “I can e, blast you”

“No, blast you, you can’t s to do than rescue you froain, Mr Thorne”

She was tall for a woh she did not say so Sebastian thought about protesting and pulling away, but frustrating as it was, he knew she was right He needed her help

Several ti on her shoulder, his head bowed, breathing hard But when she asked hiain, her own voice breathless

, whether he would prefer to hile she fetched help, he gruffly refused her and began to walk, uise his discomfort

“You really do swear a great deal,” she said, not in the least shocked

“It helps”

“How?” she asked curiously

“It makes me feel better”

“How can behaving in such a childish manner make you feel better?”

Sebastian took the opportunity to stop for another rest He looked down at her, tucked beneath his ar rain fro her hair to curl even more wildly and the cold had turned her skin white, apart from two red circles on her cheeks