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Sassy looked around “Where is your tiger?”

“Ah, on his way by stage to London”

She said, obviously curious, “Oh?”

He smiled to himself and said, “Yes, you see eIn fact, just yesterday, we talked about returning to London next week” He was surprised at the enorratification he felt when she looked at hireen eyes that spoke volumes In spite of her cool rebuffs, she didn’t want hi

“But … I sense a but,” she said while touching the ring beneath her glove She often touched it, he’d noticed No doubt it was a senti stood out in his ht his attention He had seen that stone … but where, when?

“Indeed” He smiled “We sent his to allow us to extend our visit here”

This left the him handle the reins He felt his heart nearly burst idiotically when she reht his hands quiet

“A complie me to think our relationship—whatever you ”

Sassy looked down at her hands, her cheeks red as she blushed and answered, “I-I simply stated a fact, my lord I do not flatter people”

“Do you know that you are the oddest woman I have ever come across? I am in a quandary as to whether you are an adorable innocent or an adventuress hoping to appear as one”

Sassy couldn’t believe her ears She knew that her mouth dropped as she turned to tell hiht of such a statement

“I must take leave to tell you that your manners are insufferable Adventuress? And am I supposed to find that at Netherby? I would have done better to stay with ate and her odious son! An innocent? Faith, if my innocence hadn’t departed at the death of one, when I lost my father, for all innocence was shattered then and thereafter! Do not dare to put ory, for I won’t stay there”

During this diatribe, thehis teae“I quite agree,” he said softly “You do not belong in a category, and you certainly don’t belong at Netherby”

“Ah, I suppose you shall tell ?”