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“Sometimes I think you have no more sense than one!”

“I’ to London, too,” she said, and meant it “I think my mother has plans for ood sense”

Lil s “Thank you, reat deal on her mind at the moment”

It was true These days her adoptive mother seemed to have much to contend with Not that Amy wasn’t very happy in her everyday life, because she was She and Mr Jardine were still like needs, although it was now three years since they had been e church Francesca often found herself s in their presence, if for no other reason than that their happiness was infectious For so long Amy hadMr Jardine, her secretary, had worshipped her in silence Francesca had despaired of the the obstacles, but they had, and all because William Tremaine, Amy’s brother, hadto keep theh for a ether

But it wasn’t all happily-ever-after Williae, and continued to treat Arooh never one to be browbeaten by Willia to be at odds with her brother and the head of her family Worse, she ell aware that her sister, Helen, was suffering Helen craved harmony within her family—she had troubles of her oith her feckless husband, Toby—and living in London, she relied heavily on her brother William’s support Recently there had been aat Greentree Manor

Francesca knew that Amy was quietly furious with Williah For poor Helen’s sake, she was going to London to speak with her brother and settle the rift between them once and for all

It promised to be a stormy visit, and Francesca hoped there would be no tis like new clothes or balls or hter was on the shelf and relieved to be there That was the trouble with needs; they thought everyone should be in love, and didn’t understand that so such excessive emotion

She supposed she would just have to deal with London when they got there But first there was the urgent matter of dinner with Mr Sebastian Thorne

“Lil,” she said “I’ll be wearing reen wool to dinner The sensible one With the narrow lace collar”

“The ugly green wool, do you s on you like a sack?”

“Yes, Lil, exactly”

Lil nodded, her hts: Very wise, miss

Sebastian straightened his cuffs, giving theh The jacket had belonged to Mrs Jardine’s first husband, Sir Henry Greentree, and although it fit in width and length, Sir Henry’s arms were rather shorter than Sebastian’s Still, it would have to do The servants were dealing with his own clothing, he’d been told, and it would be returned to him as soon as possible

The alternative was to skulk in his roo that He wanted to see Francesca again Considering what he had been through, he felt reasonably fit and well He’d bathed, eaten, and rested, and apart from a few bruises, he felt restored to al forward to dinner with the Jardine family

Sebastian couldn’t remember the last time he’d sat doith a respectable family Usually, in houses like this, he would be let in the back door and asked to wait in soiven his instructions The master of the house would be loath to allow him close to his womenfolk, in case he contaminated them, and if he was introduced it was usually because the wo the infamous Mr Thorne More than once, the wives of his clients had invited hi very daring and exciting, evidently, in taking a ue?