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He was still in his brocade dressing gown, although, this orn over his shirt, breeches, and highly polished boots, as Mandy dove into his arms, and wailed his name, “Skippy—oh Skippy!” It was such a release to be able to let down souardedness with someone she completely trusted

Ned met Skippy’s eyes over his sister’s head, but she turned in ti your eyes like that” She turned back to the viscount, “We are in a devil of a scrape”

Ned plopped down on a nearby leather upholstered chair and put a fruit tart into his mouth

The viscount set Mandy aside and frowned, “What’s this? A scrape? What sort of scrape?” He then turned on Ned and shouted, “Hold there! You scoundrel, that is the last tart”

“Is it?” Ned returned and grinned “Well then, you have the satisfaction of knowing it has been appreciated”

Skippy shot hi on his sleeve, he returned his attention to her and groaned “Mandy my dear, you and your brother’s descent intois both unexpected and an unwanted pleasure, but do tell me, what scrape?”

“Don’t be horrid, Skippy We are in the rockiest of straits,” Mandy declared wringing her hands “Aunt Agatha’s stepdaughter, our cousin Celia, was ht”

“Good God!” the viscount returned his brows arching as his eyes widened with his shock “Murdered? What do you mean, murdered? How? Why?” He waved her toward a chair, “Sit and tell me the whole” He waited for her to be seated and took up a hard backed chair and pulled it close to her

“Soled her,” Ned said on a hushed note

“Upon my word!” the viscount returned

“Precisely,” said Mandy, “But—that is not the whole of it”

“No? What can that mean?” the viscount’s hazel eyes narrowed and he put a hand through the ht brown locks around his pleasant face

“She ith child…” Mandy put in and felt the heat rush to her cheeks

“Blister it! Are you saying so…while she was…uponthunderous “Who would have…why, it is unthinkable Who could have…?”

“Me, they think it was me,” Ned said miserably