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"You knew that I desired you and thought I e I cannot have this conversation with the young prince in the roo Philippa with him, and opened the door to the corridor

Her heart was breaking It had all gone wrong She had insulted Wick Of course, he couldn’t do as she asked It was as ridiculous as the idea that he should rand duke She was a fool--a stupid, naive fool froh if you looked at it another way, he was a servant, and she was a lady The outcome was obvious

Besides, her idea was ridiculous, born of desperation Obviously Wick would never, ever, sleep with an uned hi, as she followed Wick into the corridor and shut the door behind her

But she caize for asking you to do so to your sense of honor," she said, keeping her voice steady And she even ed to summon up a wisp of a smile "I know you are no debaucher of maidens"

He did not return her smile "My father was as much My mother worked in the castle’s laundry I cannot, ever, act as he did"

Philippa nodded "You are not like your father And youto my father, and I will make him understand" She would not burden Wick with the truth: that her father would marry her to Rodney willy-nilly

"I could kill Rodney, if you wish Perhaps I should do it whether you wish me to or not"

She blinked and saw that his eyes were entirely serious She let out a h "No! Rodney isRodney is not terrible I exaggerated the matter when I told you about him I will tell my father that I don’t wish to marry Rodney, and that will be that"

She held out her hand "I have heard that fine ladies in London shake hands"

He looked down at her hand in the dim corridor "Are you a fine lady?"

"No, but I wish I were, for your sake"

"So you could buy me?"

Her hand dropped "Buy you?"

"I’m pretty, in my oay," he said neutrally "Ladies have indicated that they rander fashion than does Gabriel"

For a e went through her body "Now you have insulted me, as surely as I did you," she snapped "I think this conversation has gone quite far enough" She turned to open the door to the nursery

His hand shot out, held the door shut

"Wick," she said, staring at his hand against the dark wood, "Itomorrow"

She didn’t feel hiand yet suddenly she was spun around and found herself wrapped in his arms

"I would let you buy ed a shaky smile Then she took a deep breath and put her hands on his face, drawing his lips to hers

"How much?" she whispered

"I’ve been told I’m worth a fortune" His voice had a bleak note

"I haven’tthe seam of his lips, tasted that wildness that he concealed with his upright body, his un for a ha’penny," he whispered against her lips

This ti they stood in the corridor With her eyes closed, her only sensations ca sensation of his mouth, the way his hands shaped and teased her