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without opening your eyes? Maybe you ' ll start a new trend ? And I suppose you ' ll fix your own tonic to relieve the pain threatening to split your skull as well. Brilliant. Cheerio . I ' m off. Have a lovely evening. " Loud footfalls echoed as Whit began to retreat into the hall.
    After a huff, which caused Ewan ' s head to increase its pounding for a moment, he mumbled, " I will not be in attendance. "
    " Excuse me sir? What did you say? " Whit asked.
    " I said … " Ewan raised his voice, but pain made him immediately grab his head and lower his tone once again. " I ' m not going , " h e all but whispered .
    Ewan ' s irritation rose as he noticed that Whit was chuckling . He had done that on purpose!
    " You ' re lucky I ' m not able to beat you right now , " Ewan whispered menacing ly .
    " Ah well, since I ' m relieved of my employment here , I ' ll just take my leave before you ' r e able to attempt any physical harm on my person. " Whit took a step then paused . " But, I feel compelled to mention a certain young miss will be left to her own devices … and the devices of others… " Whit drew out the last sentence before walking away once again .
    The sound of receding footsteps caused a momentary panic to rise in Ewan .
    " Wait! " h e shouted, immediately regretting the rash action . He had to start thinking before he acted!
    " Yes , sir? " The footsteps halted, causing Ewan to relax slightly before speaking once again, only much softer.
    " I re-hire you. Now, go and fix me that vile concoction . " Ewan continued to massage his temples and mumbled, " I swear it ' s poison. "
    " No , sir . Poison is the reason you ' r e in this condition , " Whit remarked wry ly .
    " Brandy is not poison , " Ewan argued, but his body told him otherwise.
    " Large quantities of anything can be poison , " Whit replied, earning a sarcastic huff from Ewan.
    " D o n ' t you have a job to do ? " Ewan asked, annoyed, still not willing to move from his position on the chair .
    " As you wish , sir . I ' ll be back in a moment . Try not to pass out or worse while I ' m gone. " With a clear ing of his throat, Whit once again began to leave.
    " I thank you for your genuine concern for me , " Ewan replied sarcastically.
    " Always a pleasure , sir. " And with that , Whit left Ewan alone with the tiny hammers attempting to pulverize his head .
     
    ****
     
    All last night , Ewan had tried to make sense of the well of emotion that was bursting within him . He was a rake, a rogue , and therefore not accustomed to dealing with emotions, especially his own . No, when emotions were involved, he usually removed himself or drank, often both . But last night , no amount of brandy was enough to eliminate the stirring caused whenever he thought of Grace . I f anything , it intensified his desire.
    What was it about her , and why had it happened now? Why not earlier? Hadn ' t he known Grace for years? Ever since she was in leading strings , he had been there, torturing her the entire way and loving every moment of it . He paused a t the thought of the last sentence . He loved torturing her, teasing her — loved .
    Could that be the root? Was it nothing more than his fear in losing his constant playmate in verbal sparring? He thought about it, mulled it over , and realized that though the joy attained from besting her and teasing her mercilessly was indeed profound, his emotions went far beyond just that .
    As he thought about her smile, her constant efforts to put him in place and ignore all charm he use d on her , he felt himself smile — a sappy sort of grin he often pitied when seen on others . He closed his eyes and ran his fingers down his face , feeling the friction of his stubble. He must look frightening . And tonight he had to go see Shiply charm Grace all over again .
    The thought of Shiply dissolved the grin from his face and replaced it with a grimace. A bit more than disgusted with himself, he groan ed and leaned back on the chair , closing his