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The light thud of Ashford's shoes striking the cobblestone obliterated that notion

Noelle's hands knotted into fists, and she waited, half-expecting the blanket to be yanked off her and Ashford to be loo here

Neither occurred

In a muted flurry, Ashford's footsteps moved away from the phaeton and disappeared

Silence hung heavy in the air—for taut, prolonged minutes

At last, Noelle dared take her chances Shifting the blanket ever so slowly, she paused when the night air struck her face, took a preli fully

It was eerily dark, the area around her utterly still

Inhaling sharply, Noelle took the plunge, popping her head out and assessing her surroundings

The phaeton was nestled against a re it from view The nearest streetla the phaeton into complete darkness

Obviously, Ashford wanted his co to remain undetected

The question was, co from where?

Growing bolder, Noelle crept to the edge of her seat, staring intently in the direction of the streetlamp

Froht, there were several houses down the way; large, splendid houses like her father's or Ashford's She was right about one thing: they were definitely still in the West End of Town

So what in God's na here?

She'd better figure it out quickly He'd already been gone at least a quarter hour, and she had no idea how long this seght be—would take