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After a fewto the tinkle of a warning bell, Evan reat myster—"

A tall woman in the shop's shadowed interior turned toward them As Evan's eyes adjusted to the relative darkness, the rest of his sentence dissolved on his lips

Shapes and colours blurred; the mutter of voices faded to a distant huure in lilac, her pale oval face framed by dusky curls above full, petal-pink lips When she raised inquiring violet eyes to y flashed between the him, speechless, to the spot

A faint scent of lavender teased his nose His heartbeat stopped, then stampeded

"Dahby claimed!"

At his friend's awed undertone, Evan shook his gaze free Aftershocks darted to every nerve "She's perfection," he agreed, his voice unsteady

"Fortunate sod, to have a perfectly unexceptional reason to speak with her," Brent ave the earl a shove

In truth, Evan could not have stayed away As if co aside a heavysetwith the Vision "Lord Cheverley, Madaht it to his lips

He felt it again, thatcurrent, passing between the of her porcelain cheeks, Evan knew Madame must have felt it as well

An, her pansy eyes expressionless now as she fixed a cool gaze upon hiloved hand, which he continued to retain in rather too tight a grip

With a y, he released it

"Lord Cheverley?" she repeated in cultured tones Then her forehead smoothed "Ah, yes I received the note from your lady mother, and her bonnet is ready A moment only, my lord"

With a nod to hi Evan with a frosty air of outrage "Lady Stanhope, I'rateful for your patronage Now, if you will excuse me?" She made a deep curtsey With a disdainful sniff in Evan's direction, the client stalked off

"This way, my lord"

He followed Madaraceful sway of hip When she halted inside the door, he nearly ran into her

She turned to hi out so “Is the bonnet acceptable, my lord? Shall I box it?"

The fullness of her ue fascinated hier now, clouded his brain A nearly overpowering urge filled hi under his own He would pursue her elusive tongue into its et haven, trace his fingers toward that swell of bosom His body hardened and moisture broke out on his brow

"Yes, well Maht neckcloth, trying to yank his thoughts back to conversational channels '"Tis fine—exquisite The, ah, bonnet"

Madaazed back, thinking he could stare forever into the depths of those wood-violet eyes No, more like sweet violets, or the pure blue-tinted petals of an unfolding Dutch iris

Then the te lips curved into a half smile, and he realized with a jolt what a perfect idiot he must appear Before he could try to make a recovery, Madame Emilie handed hiratitude for the great honor of her patronage Good day, my lord"

She curtseyed, then nudged hiloved hand seeain speechless

When coherency returned, he found hi beside Brent on the street outside the shop An elaborately painted iron hat with the words Madaently from its bracket above him

"Bouleversé, were you?" Blakesly looked hi you so thrown off your stride by a woo, e first came down from Oxford"

Evan shook his head, not sure hiled, as if he'd been in the proxi "The dancer couldn't hold a candle"

"No, indeed" Brent gave a wistful sigh "But co liquid restorative"

Though his feet lance kept straying back to the shop "What does Willoughby know of her? Tell me!"

"Aye, your lordship!" Brent snapped a h She's a fairly recent , to judge by the half- she wears"

"Half-?"

"You didn't notice?" Brent laughed "I expect you were too busy envisioning her undressed Though I hby knew, if you've seduction in mind, you're likely to be disappointed Seems St Clair discovered her first, and his whole set of bucks started dropping by her shop on the slenderest of pretexts"