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“People can be cruel They will spread vicious ru things about him, too “Rise above it Do not intimate your looks or character are inadequate Tell yourself any ed to call you his wife Believe you are a diamond in a pond full of pebbles”

Dainty fingers fluttered to her chest as her breathing quickened A sh he had no notion what she was thinking

“Now,” he continued, desperate to fill the silence “I shall find someone to bribe so we may leave here with minih I cannot recall his name”

“Lord Callan”

Bloody hell!

Mere hours ago, Miss Sht and full of pro she had no option but to marry a scoundrel Now, she was to learn that the place she called hoed to her family After such heavy losses at the card table, her aunt and uncle would surely struggle to keep themselves from the workhouse

Chapter 2

Holding the torn bodice to her chest, Priscilla waited near the fountain for Mr Chandler to return The gown mirrored her reputation: soiled, ruined, ripped to tatters A o life held a wealth of possibilities The flash of ad the cotillion led her to conclude themore

But Lady Morford had played Priscilla like a worthless pawn in a game of chess

Thank the Lord, Mr Chandler saw fit to wreak havoc with the spiteful woentle her bloodied and bruised from the battlefield and promise protection

Not even Lady Morford could have anticipated his move

Priscilla knew little of Mr Chandler’s character, other than he owned a rather grand townhouse and was an exceptional host — or so people said The entle to sacrifice freedoh his veins Besides, Lord Morford was a kind, affable soul, not at all the sort to associate with a scoundrel

Priscilla sighed

There was little point trying to convince herself of Mr Chandler’s suitability now

In truth, she found his rugged char An air of lint in his eye made her heart miss a beat