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"You’re deluded," Sébastien said

"A glass of fashion," Piers repeated patiently "Without lory that you do currently, would you?"

"A particularly strained rel always al, does it not?"

"Or a poodle more absurd," Piers retorted

"Insultdown at Linnet with an utterly fatuous expression on his face She had apparently seen that look on istered; there wasn’t a trace of triumph about her

"You two couldn’t be more different in your dress," she said

"You should have seen us as boys," Piers said "I could hardly walk, of course, so Sébastien used to run twice as fast And then as we grew older, he started dressing twice as elegantly, to compensate for my slovenly ways"

"But you were both interested in medicine," Linnet said "How on earth were you able to pursue your interests? Not a single gentleman I know in London has any skills of that sort"

"Or of any sort?" he asked, eyebrow raised

"They can dance," she offered

"Perhaps that’s why: I couldn’t dance, so I turned to cutting people up"

"And he couldn’t cut people up all that well, so I had to do it for hihit was farthan that practiced smile of hers It was both husky and sweet, like war another gulp to fortify hiht you were the fa out what’s wrong with people The trouble is that I do that best when they’re already dead Sébastien, on the other hand, is good at the tidy sort of surgery, the kind where the patient is living and would prefer to stay that way"

Linnet gave Sébastien another smile, and Piers fancied he could actually see the poorto think that you’d be here if I were to need surgery," she cooed

"Yes, if you want a leg lopped off, he’s the man to do it," Piers said

"That would be a crime," Sébastien said, his voice as soft as a dove’s

Dauilty Sébastien had no idea what sort of te onto his ar his heart properly broken if this kept up

"Stop it," he said to Linnet

She gave hiain," he ordered "It iven that your slippers appear to be seith pearls--an inordinate waste of ood for them"

Sébastien frowned at him "Is this your idea of proper conversation, cousin? If so, you’re worse than I thought Miss Thrynne is a delicate floho should be treated with the uts and vo on her toes"

Piers raised an eyebrow at Linnet She sighed and patted Sébastien’s arm "I’m sorry," she said "His lordship has quite correctly noticed that I am as adept at flirtation as he is at its opposite"

"Nice," Piers said, with genuine appreciation "Damned if you aren’t one of the nastiest conversationalists I know Especially given the extra ammunition you carry"