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Chapter 1

26th Deceland

The heavy weight of her wet skirts rubbed against her frozen thighs She shivered and drew the hood of her cape over her tangled hair in a futile attempt to keep her ears warm

What a fool she was to think it would be an easy task to walk tenshe had ever encountered Rupert pulled on his leash, his low-slung belly hidden in the grasses of theat her with his pathetic black eyes She should have left him at home

Her misadventure was due to her lust for a rakish o, and it seeue officer with his tufts of golden hair and sharp eyes On Christs, touched her breasts with his lips, and sought sanctuary in the core of her being By the firelight, she had allowed hi she had seduced hi ret for pursuing him If she could only reach hiht encourage hiination conjured up

The ht she knew the way and now realised she was quite lost and had been for at least an hour Soon it would be dark, and then she would be at the ht She could not even turn back as she had wandered off the path home

The swirl of white was as dense as a blizzard, and it brought with it a dampness that reed so hard on his leash he broke free The dangling lead followed hi

“Rupert, come back here!”

The yaps grew distant The wretched dog had abandoned her, too What now?

She slue, but then her deceitful plan would have been revealed by a groorandparents would have summoned her back She could not endure their disappointment at second time Once was unbearable

“Please, please,” she prayed softly “I need you, my love”

However, her lover was probably stilland content to let her go He had, after all, said as ood choice, he had ientile lady

She needed to persevere So, a little voice of reason in her head, told her they were probably perfect for each other

Jenny picked up her skirts and strode in the direction Rupert had taken The dog probably had better sense than her

Chapter 2

16th December 1809

Jenny Teer “Ow,” she ertip

The h the pane and landed on her lap, illu the white cloth and blackwork A tiny spot of blood had spread itself over the last few stitches

“Oh bother,” she exclai the embroidery onto theseat

Frorandmother bellowed, “What’s that, my dear?”

Jenny rose to her feet “Nothing, Grandma,” she shouted back

Susannah Te wrinkles “There’s no need to shout”

Jenny rolled her eyes to the ceiling fresco—adorned with chubby cherubs and large oyster shells—and ignored the re to her grandh it assisted, it re more than a rudimentary aide and hardly a decent replace