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you won’t be so hasty.”
    “To enter my own bedchamber? That’s an unbelievable statement, Miss Banning.”
    “Surely when you have guests in your home there can be a more civilized approach to finding someone in your private chamber other than assuming they want to steal from you.”
    Her mind was racing and she was coming up with crazy answers but it was the best she could do under the circumstances. If she didn’t stay on the offensive he would overcome her.
    “There is a very logical conclusion I could draw from finding a beautiful young lady in my room, but I’m not convinced you want my thoughts going in the direction of thinking you have designs on me and you want a passionate rendezvous.”
    She gasped. He was outrageous.
    “Does your ego have no boundaries, sir? How dare you suggest such a thing? I don’t even know you.”
    “True, but you were definitely looking me over when you were in the receiving line.”
    Olivia felt a guilty flush creep into her cheeks again.
    This man was maddening, fascinating, and invigorating.
    “This is a large residence, my lord. It would be very easy for someone to get lost among the many rooms.”
    “I suppose one could get lost, Miss Banning. But right now all of my guests except you are downstairs finding their pleasure in my food, my wine, and my music. You are the only one up here in my private chamber sniffing my shaving soap.”

    Olivia cringed again. What she had done sounded so improper when he said it that way.
    She needed to leave. She should be begging his forgive-ness and heading for the door. Instead she was standing here trying to match wits with him and her efforts were fu-tile. It was clear he was not going to be appeased by anything she said.
    Taking a calming breath she answered, “You are quite right, my lord. I should be downstairs enjoying the party, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave.” She started to walk past him but was stopped when he grabbed hold of her gloved wrist. Olivia glanced down at his strong, capable hand. She felt power beneath the commanding grip of his masculine fingers. She lifted her lashes and their eyes met and held. Suddenly, she experienced that same strange sensation low in the pit of her stomach as when she first noticed him staring at her on the walkway, that same strange sensation that pulled her into his chamber.
    “Not so fast, Miss Banning,” he said, his tone sounding as stormy as his dark honey eyes. “No proper young lady would be caught prowling in my rooms.”
    “Prowling? What strong words you use, sir.”
    “Would you prefer pilfering or snooping ? Do those words better suit you?”
    “Of course not. I was merely—” She stopped.
    “You were prowling through my private chambers looking for something. Tell me the truth. Who are you and what are you after?”
    She had told him the truth, or as close to it as she dared.
    She had to search the house for Agatha, but she had no excuse for stopping to smell his soap. Other than it was as if she’d been incapable of leaving before she looked around his room.

    There was no way she could tell him that she had to hunt for a ghost because she couldn’t bear the thought of her aunt’s flawless reputation being ruined by the scandal of everyone thinking she’d gone mad, thinking a beau who’d jilted her over forty years ago was now calling to her from the afterlife.
    It wouldn’t matter if Olivia’s reputation was ruined in London. No one knew her. Besides, she planned to return to Kent. But her aunt would forever be remembered as a foolish old woman thinking the man who had jilted her had returned from the grave to claim her.
    Olivia wouldn’t allow that to happen.
    She had no choice but to stick with the truth, though at all cost she had to keep Agatha’s name out of it.
    “Truly, I’m searching for Lord Pinkwater’s ghost. I’ve heard he’s in London and I thought I sensed his presence when the vase fell from your foyer landing. I only