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"Si a knife at the last soiree" He grinned, recalling the scene "A certain rateful I was present to rescue her when she swooned"

Fiona snorted and shook her head "By slicing open her gown and stays"

"Anyone could see she was blue froh all you like, that story now precedes you everywhere you go It’s not a story that requires ees to sound worse with every retelling"

"If your faith inall the prattling from the dames of the ton"

He did not care for the notion of people--strangers--discussing hi about hilish aristocrats

Fiona smiled in satisfaction "Of course I have utter faith in your prowess"

Instead of hu such rot with a response, he rose smoothly to his feet, all the more determined to find a wife and return hoht, aze, Cleo couldn’t help wondering whether he could actually see her clearly "Thank you, ed hand and unerringly confiscated her gloved hand Not too blind, she supposed She watched in dread as he pressed his chalky-dry lips to the back of it

Cleo smiled thinly "You are really too kind, lared It was sih to read the conteaze and turned her attention to Lord Thrunore the wretch

As the earl’s heir, Mr Hamilton often accompanied them Fortunately, he primarily occupied himself at his estate outside Town When he did visit, he at least feigned to like her in front of the earl and others The contelances were for her eyes only

The earl patted her hand with his tre to it "I speak only the truth,to marry the man, she really needed to learn to better abide his touch It wasn’t often that he ood authority that the old earl’s nether parts were not in working order She wasn’t above listening to servants’ gossip, and her , Berthe had beco all she could about the oodie had fathered only one child with his first wife nearly fifty years ago was coe Since then there had been fourTwo of those wives even had children froes All of which pointed to the earl’s inability to sire further children Less coe was that in recent years the old earl had attempted to ravish a few maids in his employ All to no success Berthe had put it crudely: The ol’ man’s cannon is cracked

As far as Cleo was concerned, he was the perfect candidate for , virile male to inflict upon her all the misery her mother had endured

Thanks to Jack Hadley’s newfound interest in his daughters, she had a dowry to rival Croesus hie she was expected to wed someone titled So the ton That was the trade-off

After her half sister Grier ht Jack’s ahters had married a prince, after all But she wasn’t off the hook Her father still wanted an English nobleman for a son-in-law

"I’enerous fraras about the score"

Libba slapped her with her fan "Not the opera, you silly hen McKinney" She quickly glanced around as if uttering the naht set the hounds of hell upon the under a rock?" She inched her chair closer, bouncing evenus"

Cleo glanced at the two re seats, still vacant Presuht a Mr and Mrs Blackere invited to join us" She’d overheard Hamilton mention that he’d invited his old school friend

Libba bobbed her head in agreement "They were, but Mr Ha that Mrs Blackas not feeling quite the thing, so his brother-in-law, Lord McKinney, is joining us"

"I see" Cleo stared at Libba, seeing nothing at all Apparently this McKinney should be known to her--at least in reputation

Libba fluttered her fan as if suddenly overheated "I’ve been fairly panting toabout--ever since he dreord and sliced Lady Chesterfeld’s gown to ribbons" Libba h she were fending off bees "Left her stark ned on the ballrooht, attesting that this was not a e Cleo’s lips twisted in a sardonic smile Seemed rather a contradiction to her but she didn’t bother pointing that out Instead, she said most soberly, "If that were true--"

"Oh it is!" Libba stared crossly at her, evidently resenting that her tale should be doubted

"I’m sure it didn’t happen quite like that He would have been tossed in gaol, certainly, and not about to join us in an opera box"

Libba readjusted her pluure on the chair with a sniff "You shall see"

With an indulgent s into their seats below She was so engrossed in appreciating the ladies in all their finery--and ht--that she did not take heed of the newco their box until Libba slapped her with her fan again