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His stalwart deterhts towards their current situation He could make love to her After all she was already ruined due to the fact they had already spent two nights alone together A third night sharing a rooh she wasn’t entitled and wealthy and had no relative or guardian to demand recompense for her ruined virtue, his own conscience wouldn’t allow hi decision as sleeping with him

He also had to consider his own reluctance tohe had expected was to land hi chased by lers But she was a woman and like most women of his experience, trouble was her middle name He shouldn’t be surprised to find himself in the middle of the mess they were in but that didn’t mean he had to like it, and it didn’t e his future plans to avoid matrimony

He considered the wealth of trouble she brought with her Even if they did get to Padstow and back to Leicestershire in one piece, there was still the not insignificant problem of elusive Jemima to resolve Not one, but two bundles of trouble Moreover there was Peter to consider While he was happy to help Peter find his ard obsession, he had no intention of sacrificing his oants and needs for anyone No ht be

Despite her earlier hunger, Eliza ate sparingly Glancing across the table at thesteadily in his jaw, she wondered what had happened to annoy him so

“Is there any sign of Scraggan’s men?” She wondered if he had seen them and that hat had disturbed him

“Nope” Edwardto look at her

Eliza frowned across the table at hi to raise his ire

“Eat your lance before pushing away fro the fire “When you have finished I suggest you get soh he had already closed her out

Eliza grew increasingly certain he was angry with her for some reason but for the life of her couldn’t fathom what she had done to cause it With a frown she pushed away fro if she would ever understand the complexity of men

She was half way to the bed when she shivered as the cold lanced down at the cloth covering the damp material of her chest and felt her cheeks heat at the near nudity she saw There was very little unidentifiable through the damp cloth

She sed and felt a little sick as she considered just exactly what Edward had seen Clearly he was unconorance but was too entle hand she pulled the soft folds of cloth off her chest and winced at the coolness of the damp material She had been so intent on the food and Edward’s strange behaviour she hadn’t felt the coolness of the cloth against her skin

Glancing quickly towards the fire she studied Edward’s rigid back, a tiny pang of hurt blossoht of her near nakedness had done little but make him aard and uncoe of humiliation as she slid between the covers on one side of the large bed, taking athe sodden shirt off and shake it out With nowhere to put it, she draped it over the end of the bed and quickly lay back down, tugging the covers up to her ears before curling into a tight ball of misery

She knew she was plumper than most women, with h she didn’t scare children, nobody could class her as beautiful Je themselves into fools over her Eliza wondered if Edould have shown more interest in Jemima had she been with him and secretly she knew so

She knew she should be vastly relieved he didn’t have any sexual interest in her, and her virtue was safe in his presence, but it still stung her feminine pride that a man like Edward could see her nakedness displayed so brazenly and not be affected by anything other than aardness

Edward slid between the covers later that night, well aware that Eliza was still awake He had taken a few moments to shake out her wet shirt and drape it over the back of the chair to dry and had seen the flutter of her eyelids as he had turned