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"Never irl was hopeless
"Oh, Cleo" Libba nudged her shoulder roughly "Haven’t you any trust? Any faith? Sometimes you have to trust your instincts about a person"
Cleo sniffed Like her mother had trusted? First Jack Hadley And then her stepfather Not Cleo--not a chance
Libba continued "I’m fairly certain he means to offer for me Perhaps even this week"
Cleo blinked "So soon?"
"Oh, yes You’ve been hiding aith that headache of yours for the last two days so you wouldn’t know, but he called on me the day after the opera with a bouquet of hothouse roses
"Of course he did He knows a good catch when he sees one," Cleo replied wryly, but Libba
"And the day after that he took me for a ride in the park Tomorroe shall stroll Bond Street I do hope he will propose soon," she rushed to say "Grandfather’s health is so precarious The last thing I want is Ha to delaybecause Grandfather died" Comprehension suddenly broke across Libba’s features "Oh, how dreadful of ht soon die I know you’re veryfond of hiirl ence She could never fault Libba for being unkind Unlike Ha relationship with her grandfather "No worries, Libba"
Libba clutched Cleo’s hand in each of her own "And he is exceedingly fond of you, too You’ve brought new life into hirew pained
Libba’s head dipped closer as she whispered conspiratorially, "I believe he intends to offer for you very soon"
At this confidence, Cleo’s sto fortoward, after all An easy, uncomplicated match Safe
Above all safe
"W-wonderful"
"Isn’t it?" Libba’s head bobbed happily "He swore he would never wed again after his last wife died Sorry luck, that" Libba gave her hand another squeeze "He’ll likely outlive us all Wait and see"
"I dearly hope so," Cleo returned Not a lie She truly did not yearn for hoodas the gossips were fond of declaring She simply wished to keep her body to herself--and not lose her spirit under the grind of so his boot heels were long past He was unthreatening in that regardspending ed nap
She need only envision her ard face, or recall one of the tiny corpses she’d carried to the churchyard, to know the kind of life she wanted
Still, the thought that she oodie’s proposal knotted her stomach
"Pardon me, Libba I’m in need of so rooe into chilled air She wished she’d brought her shawl but wasn’t about to go back into the house to fetch it She moved away from the door The fe the verandah that wrapped around the side of the house
Chafing her ar where the stars had vanished She’d always been able to see the out the constellations
"Can’t see a thing through all the s several feet away, the Scot propped a lean hip against the stone railing, his booted feet crossed at the ankles
"What are you doing out here?" she demanded
"Could ask you the same"
She crossed her arms, suddenly unsure what to do with them
It dawned on her that they’d never even spoken at any length Just a brief two- or three-worded greeting For as hts, this struck her as strange
She shivered anew It was too dark to see his eyes but she iined they still looked at her with that cold disapproval
"Tired of the chatter?" he asked, his dark head nodding toward the drawing rooue rolled through her like warry at herself for letting his voice affect her
"I needed soht squeak
"Bracing yourself for the earl’s cold touch?"
She sucked in a sharp breath, his words as shocking as a dousing of water "Pardon h"
"Surely not My earsso unconscionably rude"
He chuckled and the sound grated Suddenly, his laughter stopped and silence stretched between them until he asked, "How old are you?"
She hesitated, but ulti?"
"You thought irls of your tender years ould consider a htieth year a prime candidate for a husband"
She pulled back her shoulders "You know no bounds,about ed "You’re a curiosity, I confess"