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“It would have been a nightratitude Gratitude was not the emotion he wished to rouse

“Marriage was the only way to salvage the re the obvious

“Youyou has always been ined would come to fruition”

He had no desire to dredge up oldtoo weak to disobey her father The intiht hope for the future, and so the best course of action was to focus on the present moment

“Then we should both count ourselves fortunate Marrying has always been my dream, too”

“Mrs Crandall said you’d sworn never to marry”

He cast her a sidelong glance and waited for her to aze “I swore I would marry no one but you and I meant it”

They stared at each other for a few heartbeats before she said, “Then we have every reason to celebrate” Her shtened her eyes and the need to find the villain who had carried out the pernicious act burned fiercely in his chest “Indeed, I cannot wait until we can put thisa future”

“With the Wycliffs and Trents on the case, the truth will prevail”

She nodded “Before we left your father’s ball you said you had news to impart”

“Yes Numerous people can attest to the fact that Murray was one of the last to leave Lord Craven’s ball Mrs Beckwith re down the front steps” She’d used the words drunken buffoon three times or more

“That’s because his e of her absence to get thoroughly sotted”

A sudden movement in the parkland to their left captured Benedict’s attention He brought Cassandra to an abrupt halt and ate The coachman moved stealthily from the path and disappeared into the darkness

“Should we let hio alone?” Cassandra whispered, her breathless pants creating puffs of white ht air

“He’s ar for soes” Still, Benedict’s heart raced until Foston returned to resu the man’s only indication it was safe to proceed