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Indignant turquoise eyes gazed up at him “Of course I am Slayde, have you lost your mind?”

He blinked “Evidently so” Slowly, he released her, his baffled gaze sweeping her frohly intact “You weren’t harmed?”

“Harmed? Certainly not As pro a wisp of red-gold hair behind her ear, Aurora indicated her companion “Honestly, Slayde, it’s not like you to become so emotional”

Slayde’s gaze shifted froant, utterly stupefied woman beside her “Elinore?”

“Hello, Slayde,” Lady Stanwyk said Uneasily, she assessed the tension between brother and sister, her fingers idly stroking the glittering diamond-and-eo”

“No, you should not go,” Aurora declared with a veheize for my brother’s rudeness”

“What do youthe excess chatter as the significance of his sister’s earlier words sank in

Aurora frowned “The note I left you I explained where I was going, ho For heaven’s sake, Slayde, I cannot remain a prisoner at Pembourne forever—”

“What note? I never received a note Other than ransom ones,” he added

Noas Aurora’s turn to look shocked “Ransom notes? Why on earth would you receive ransom notes?”

“Because half of Devonshire thinks you’ve been kidnapped, that’s why Because you’ve beenfrom Pembourne for a week, and no one has had a clue as to your whereabouts Word leaked out that you’d been taken Notes began arriving posthaste”

“Oh, my God” Aurora looked positively stricken “Slayde, I’m so sorry I had no idea I truly did leave you a note” Her nose wrinkled “I can’t iine how you missed it”

“Where did you put it?”

“I propped it on o today”

Slayde’s eyes glittered dangerously “And where, pray tell, did you go?”