Aware
ofAugusta hovering in the open window, he lowered his voice as he confronted Peter Sheldrake. "And if
you ever assist the lady in another adventure of this sort, I shall personally straighten out that extremely
poor posture of yours. Permanently. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir. Most definitely, your lordship. Quite clear, sir." Scruggs bobbed his head in a servile bow and
edged backward, cowering pathetically. "I'll just wait out here in the cold for Miss Ballinger, sir. Never
mind that the night air brings out the rheumatism in these old bones. Don't concern yourself with my
joints, my lord."
"I do not intend to concern myself with your joints unless I find it necessary to take them apart one by
one. Go on back to Sally's. I'll take care of Miss Ballinger."
"Sally is planning to send her home in her carriage with a couple of other members of Pompeia's," Peter
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said softly in his own voice. "Do not fret, Harry. No one except Sally and myself knows what is going on
here. I'll wait forAugusta in Sally's garden. She'll be safe enough once you get her back there."
"You cannot know how that knowledge relieves my mind, Sheldrake."
Peter grinned through his false whiskers. "This was not my idea, you know. Miss Ballinger came up with
it all on her own."
"Unfortunately, I can believe that."
"There was no stopping her. She asked Sally to let her sneak through the gardens and down the lane to
your house and Sally very wisely insisted I come along. Wasn't much else we could do except make
certain she did not come to harm in the process of getting to you."
"Be off, Sheldrake. Your excuses are too lame to interest me."
Peter grinned again and faded into the shadows. Harry went back to the open window whereAugusta
stood peering down into the darkness.
"Where is Scruggs going?" she demanded.
"Back to his employer's house." Harry climbed back into the library and closed the window.
"Oh, good. That was very kind of you to send him back."Augusta smiled. "It is very cold out there and I
would not want him standing around in the damp air. He suffers from rheumatism, you know."
"That is not all he will be suffering from if he tries anything like this again," Harry muttered as he relit the
lamp.
"Please, you must not blame Scruggs for my appearance here tonight. It was all my idea."
"So I understand. Allow me to tell you it was a distinctly unsound notion, Miss Ballinger. An addlepated,
idiotic, entirely reprehensible idea. But as you are here now, perhaps you will explain exactly why you felt
it necessary to risk your neck and your reputation to see me in such a fashion?"
Augustagave a small, frustrated exclamation. "This is going to be extremely difficult to explain, my lord."
"No doubt."
She turned to face what was left of the fire, allowing her cloak to fall open as she stood in front of the
glowing embers. The large red gem above her breasts glowed with the reflection of the flames.
Harry caught a glimpse of the sweet curves revealed by the low neckline ofAugusta 's gown and stared.
Good lord, he could almost see her nipples peeping out from behind a couple of strategically
placed satin roses . His imagination soared, providing a vivid image of those barely concealed buds.
Firm and ripe, they would be made for a man's mouth.
Harry blinked, suddenly aware that he was already half aroused. He fought for his normal, unshakable
self-control.
"I suggest you start the explanations, whatever they may be, immediately. It's getting late." Harry
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propped himself against the edge of his desk. He folded his arms across his chest and contented himself
with an expression of severe reproof. It was hard to maintain the scowl when what he really wanted to
do was pullAugusta down onto the carpet and make love to her. He sighed inwardly. The woman
ofAugusta hovering in the open window, he lowered his voice as he confronted Peter Sheldrake. "And if
you ever assist the lady in another adventure of this sort, I shall personally straighten out that extremely
poor posture of yours. Permanently. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir. Most definitely, your lordship. Quite clear, sir." Scruggs bobbed his head in a servile bow and
edged backward, cowering pathetically. "I'll just wait out here in the cold for Miss Ballinger, sir. Never
mind that the night air brings out the rheumatism in these old bones. Don't concern yourself with my
joints, my lord."
"I do not intend to concern myself with your joints unless I find it necessary to take them apart one by
one. Go on back to Sally's. I'll take care of Miss Ballinger."
"Sally is planning to send her home in her carriage with a couple of other members of Pompeia's," Peter
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
said softly in his own voice. "Do not fret, Harry. No one except Sally and myself knows what is going on
here. I'll wait forAugusta in Sally's garden. She'll be safe enough once you get her back there."
"You cannot know how that knowledge relieves my mind, Sheldrake."
Peter grinned through his false whiskers. "This was not my idea, you know. Miss Ballinger came up with
it all on her own."
"Unfortunately, I can believe that."
"There was no stopping her. She asked Sally to let her sneak through the gardens and down the lane to
your house and Sally very wisely insisted I come along. Wasn't much else we could do except make
certain she did not come to harm in the process of getting to you."
"Be off, Sheldrake. Your excuses are too lame to interest me."
Peter grinned again and faded into the shadows. Harry went back to the open window whereAugusta
stood peering down into the darkness.
"Where is Scruggs going?" she demanded.
"Back to his employer's house." Harry climbed back into the library and closed the window.
"Oh, good. That was very kind of you to send him back."Augusta smiled. "It is very cold out there and I
would not want him standing around in the damp air. He suffers from rheumatism, you know."
"That is not all he will be suffering from if he tries anything like this again," Harry muttered as he relit the
lamp.
"Please, you must not blame Scruggs for my appearance here tonight. It was all my idea."
"So I understand. Allow me to tell you it was a distinctly unsound notion, Miss Ballinger. An addlepated,
idiotic, entirely reprehensible idea. But as you are here now, perhaps you will explain exactly why you felt
it necessary to risk your neck and your reputation to see me in such a fashion?"
Augustagave a small, frustrated exclamation. "This is going to be extremely difficult to explain, my lord."
"No doubt."
She turned to face what was left of the fire, allowing her cloak to fall open as she stood in front of the
glowing embers. The large red gem above her breasts glowed with the reflection of the flames.
Harry caught a glimpse of the sweet curves revealed by the low neckline ofAugusta 's gown and stared.
Good lord, he could almost see her nipples peeping out from behind a couple of strategically
placed satin roses . His imagination soared, providing a vivid image of those barely concealed buds.
Firm and ripe, they would be made for a man's mouth.
Harry blinked, suddenly aware that he was already half aroused. He fought for his normal, unshakable
self-control.
"I suggest you start the explanations, whatever they may be, immediately. It's getting late." Harry
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
propped himself against the edge of his desk. He folded his arms across his chest and contented himself
with an expression of severe reproof. It was hard to maintain the scowl when what he really wanted to
do was pullAugusta down onto the carpet and make love to her. He sighed inwardly. The woman
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