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Like the gentleman himself, Lawrence Trent’s townhouse in Manchester Square was of iloved hand as she stepped out of the carriage to survey the four-storey facade Heavens Most ladies would feel a rush of excite with a randeur only highlighted his mother’s need to shoealth as opposed to love Indeed, Verity’s heart ached for the poor boy nobody wanted

“Welcome, Miss Vale” Lawrence broke with etiquette and descended the three stone steps to greet her on the paveed his broad shoulders, buckskin breeches that clung to his hs He stole her hand away from his footman “Thank you, Carter I shall take it from here”

The footman bowed and returned to the house

“I should warn you,” he began, pausing to press a kiss on her knuckles, “Mrs Henderson has gone to a ridiculous ah to appease a king Don’t gasp if jugglers juhed It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard

“Am I to understand that you never entertain ladies at home?”

“Never”

“Then I’ht”

Their gazes locked

As always, the energy of barely contained passion exploded in the air between thee to kiss him tied her stomach up in knots Heat warh the courses

“I is like a haatching over her hatchlings” Lawrence offered his arive you a tour of the house before we dine”

She took his ar h her in anticipation of what the night would bring They had no need to worry about the Brethren or silly passages underlined in a book Tonight, there would be no distractions

“I was rather lonely in the hotel rooistrate had kept hi with Mr Wycliff and Mr Cavanagh, though she’d heard froistrate had shared his best bottle of port and her husband had come home drunk

Lawrence guided Verity in through the hall, a functional space with polished oak floors and clean white walls, and no sign of the ostentatious decoration seen in ht with questions about the Brethren?”

“Yes, but I found her stories far entlehter The uncle paid the ransom, unaware of the truth until the child let slip her father’s devious plan”

“She did adh I shall never exchange a cross ith the woht not have found you in ti the last feords