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as she closed the distance and felt his gaze sear over the sheer muslin gown that made no claim to modesty. Made even more dangerous by his obvious attempt to seduce her will.
    Blast it all.
    She was perfectly prepared to combat his arrogance and even his bullying tactics. She was not his property and she would not be treated as such.
    But she was not so naive as to believe herself impervious to his masculine appeal. Since his arrival in London, she had been forced to admit that in some deep and basic manner she had been attracted to Luce from the moment her father had brought him into their home. Her skin tingled when he was near, her stomach knotted with pleasure when he accidentally brushed against her, and more than one night had been devoted to shameless dreams of her soon-to-be-husband.
    Which was no doubt the reason his betrayal had hurt so dreadfully.
    If he decided to try a full-on assault, she was not entirely certain she possessed the strength to deny him. That realization only made it all the more imperative that she convince him to leave, she sternly told herself.
    Clearly her angry demands, even pleas, were falling on deaf ears. Her only hope appeared to be in remaining thoroughly indifferent to his presence. If she refused to react to his determined pursuit, he would eventually realize his cause was hopeless. And then he would be forced to seek a new means of acquiring his fortune.
    With an effort, she forced a cheerful smile to her lips as she halted beside his tall form.
    â€œGood afternoon, Luce.”
    â€œKate.” His own smile was far less easy to read. “How was the tea?”
    â€œLovely, thank you.”
    â€œI did not realize you were such a great admirer of Byron’s.”
    She offered a faint shrug. “I enjoy a lively debate upon his merits.”
    â€œAnd you discovered such a debate at Mrs. Roberts’?”
    â€œActually, I did. Do you know there are gentlemen in London who are actually prepared to listen to a mere woman’s view on literature?” She allowed her pleasure to glow in her eyes. “They are even prepared to accept that women might possess an actual ability to think for themselves. Can you imagine?”
    He regarded her through half-lowered lids. “Quite easily. I have always known that you were an intelligent, well-educated woman. It was one of your most potent allures.”
    She sternly quenched the tiny thrill of pleasure at his low words. Her allure had been her dowry, nothing more.
    â€œI find that difficult to believe.”
    â€œWhy?”
    She gave a lift of her shoulder. “We were hardly well enough acquainted for you to know if I possessed any intelligence or not.”
    â€œI assure you that having known any number of silly women, my sisters included, I do not need more than a few moments to distinguish a female of good sense.” His smile deepened. “And besides, no maiden without a good deal of intelligence as well as perseverance could have managed to establish an orphanage that saved dozens of poor children from the brutal coal mines.”
    She floundered for a moment. To her knowledge, only Julia was fully aware of the effort she had put into seeing the orphanage built. She had taken great care to ensure that it was the vicar who received the bulk of the credit.
    â€œHow did you know?” she whispered.
    â€œI made it my business to know, Kate,” he murmured. “You are my fiancée. Everything about you fascinates me.”
    Fascinates? Oh, dash it all.
    â€œI . . .” She determinedly sucked in a deep breath. “What are you doing here?”
    His lips twitched. “That should be obvious, my dear. Where else would you have your devoted fiancé be?”
    â€œDo I have a choice?” she demanded in overly sweet tones.
    His low chuckle filled the air. “I suppose you would have me sent to the netherworld?”
    â€œA tempting notion, although I would settle for