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With each word she heard, Amelia felt her heart break a little bithe had said He just hadn’tless

“I don’t want to end up with aat her feet with a frown

“But on’t, Amelia Not only are we different people, but we have faced adversity and coer We work There is really no reason other than your foibles that is keeping us apart”

“Foibles?” Amelia felt her temper rise as she stared at him “Foibles? You just don’t understand do you? What I want isn’t a foible I don’t want to be married to a man who realises he cannot love e It is an alliance, and I know firsthand how such alliances can destroy people”

Sebastian tried to hold her hands, but she pulled aiftly, needing to put some distance between them Whenever she stood close to him, she was distracted by his blatant ive in to whatever he demanded from her

“You really have no choice You are a lady, and there are certain expectations on you to behave in such a way Having a child out of wedlock would bring scandal upon your father and his new bride that neither would be able to live down”

“I don’t know if I a cornered Sheher hand up when he moved to follow her “I need time to think”

She paused, staring blankly out at the gardens below for severala deep breath

“Tell , Sebastian Do you love me?” Her voice was quiet and calm as she asked the most important question of her life She turned to look at him

Her heart sank at his look of stunned surprised She knew the truth He had never even contemplated the possibility His shocked silence and the look of wariness on his face was all she needed to know

“Whenwith him” She didn’t look back as she left the pavilion, and was quietly relieved when he arden

At the far side of the house, she spied the hedged wall leading to the rose garden and headed in that direction She needed soather the pieces of her torn and bleeding heart In theas soon as possible

She wasn’t certain how long she sat in the garden listening to the buzzing of the bees, and the chirping of the birds in the trees Slowly, she beca chilled and reluctantly eyed the dark clouds roiling ahead Drawing her shawl around her shoulders with a shiver, she began to walk the outer path towards the entrance of the garden

She didn’t see the erow until she was suddenly caught fro cloth was placed over her mouth, and immediately the world went black

CHAPTER ELEVEN