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dac7e5d
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Sunset. He had promised her until sunset. "If something goes wrong, we need to get her out." Miles Dorrington looked thoughtful. "I say, we could raise the Jolly Roger and storm the fort as pirates. While they're panicking, you sneak in and retrieve Jane." "Too many cannons," said Jack tersely. "You'll be blown to splinters before we can get inside. Next?" Lizzy raised her crossbow. "I could--" "No," said Jack and his father in unison. When..
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Lauren Willig |
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7cd50ec
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She feigned a sip of her wine. It was claret, not port. It was, she thought, very like Nicolas to travel with his own cellar into a region famed for its wines. "I shall always think of you as a friend." "Only a friend?" Nicolas arranged himself flatteringly at her feet. It was, Jane knew, a standard tableau, the young swain at the feet of his love. She could speak her lines, or she could change the dialogue, throw him off balance. "Said the..
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Lauren Willig |
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bca8540
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She won't come that way." Jack's stepmother stepped out beside him on the large terrace in front of the fortress. All around them, the setting sun painted the sky a brilliant red and purple that only accentuated the jagged cliffs of the isle of Berlengas, jutting out into the sea around them. The wind had risen, slapping the waves into a frenzy. Whitecapped, they dashed themselves against the base of the narrow causeway that connected the F..
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Lauren Willig |
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a476e8b
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Jack looked down at the cracked paving at his feet. The last thing he wanted was to have a discussion about his emotions with the woman who had married his father--who, for some bizarre reason, everyone, with the exception of his father, persisted in referring to as "Miss" Gwen. It didn't seem to bother his father. In fact, his father was as happy as Jack could ever remember seeing him. It was very odd thinking of one's parent as a person. ..
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Lauren Willig |
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3b43902
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Amy read Ovid and Virgil and Aristophanes and Homer. She read dry histories and scandalous love poetry (her governesses, who had little Latin and less Greek, naively assumed that anything in a classical tongue must be respectable), but mostly she returned again and again to The Odyssey. Odysseus had fought to go home, and so would Amy.
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homecoming
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Lauren Willig |
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994924a
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A basket of wildflowers on Jane's arm testified to a walk along the grounds, but she bore no sign of outdoor exertion. No creases dared to settle in the folds of her muslin dress; her pale brown hair remained obediently coiled at the base of her neck; and even the loops of the bow holding her bonnet were remarkably even. Aside from a bit of windburn on her pale cheeks, she might have been sitting in the parlour all afternoon.
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Lauren Willig |
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c979156
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Sensing another maternal oration coming on, one of those I-bore-you-and-thus-know-what's-best-for-you lectures, Richard made a pointed move towards the door. 'If that's all for the moment, Mother, I really must be off. The War Office...' The marchioness gave another of her infamous harrumphs. 'Have a good time at White's, darling,' she said pointedly. Richard paused halfway out the door and flashed her an incredulous look. 'How do you alway..
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mother-and-son
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Lauren Willig |
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ae47bf3
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Richard found his quarry in the library. 'Selwick!' The Honourable Miles Dorrington flung aside the news sheet he had been reading, leapt up from his chair and pounded his friend on the back. He then hastily reseated himself, looking slightly abashed at his unseemly display of affection. In a fit of temper, Richard's sister Henrietta had once referred irritably to Miles as 'that overeager sheepdog,' and there was something to be said for th..
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Lauren Willig |
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3ea774c
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He appreciated her as a companion; he admired her as a comrade; he wanted her as a lover. All innocuous enough each on its own. Put together . . . Christ. What a coil.
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Lauren Willig |
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bff7524
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Because I like you," she blurted out, and realized that for once it was true. It was a rather unsettling revelation. "You're . . . , well, you." Not just a body on a balcony, not just a pair of lips to blot out boredom, but Alex, Alex who argued with her and watched out for her and woke absurdly early in the mornings to ride with her every day, whether he had the time to do so or not. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all. Alex did..
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Lauren Willig |
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8c0d975
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There was a curiously ferocious quality to their lovemaking, as if it were a competition to see which of them could elicit the greater response from the other. It was as though they were trying to scour their mark into each other, like lovers' initials charred into the trunk of a tree, relic of a lost romance. Teasing, taunting, titillating, they grappled together long after the fire had burned down to embers and the night-blooming flowers ..
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Lauren Willig |
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151f5a0
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arrived. She settled herself on
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Lauren Willig |
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b1627e8
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What a very odd thing,' said Janie, 'to live and leave no mark.
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live-life
legacy
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Lauren Willig |
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73d655f
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I don't believe anything's really inevitable until it happens. We just call it inevitable to make ourselves feel better about it, to excuse ourselves for not having done anything.
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inevitability
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Lauren Willig |
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92f1aae
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The urge to turn his back until his stepmother went away was strong, but the urge to talk about Jane was stronger. "You were her chaperone?" Jack said, the words half lost on the wind. "Chaperone, second in command." Miss Gwen rested her parasol point on the ground, frowning out to sea, her eyes searching the waters that separated them from the mainland. "I've known her since she was born." "Was she always . . ." Jack stuck. "Maddeningly om..
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Lauren Willig |
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cacf18d
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You," said Henrietta, regarding the Gardener with the sort of venom usually reserved for people who ignore the queue at lending libraries. "What are you doing here?" The Gardener doffed his hat. "Lady Henrietta. How lovely to see you again." Jane couldn't echo the sentiment. It wasn't that she didn't love Henrietta; Henrietta was like a sister to her, or at least the closer kind of cousin. But she wasn't exactly the person Jane would have c..
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Lauren Willig |
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3c52ea1
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Our guest"--she gave Nicolas a hard look, willing him to behave himself--"is not bound because Monsieur le Comte de Brillac has expressed a desire to become our ally." Miss Gwen snorted. "Oh, is that what he's calling himself now?" Miles looked at Miss Gwen with interest. "Do you mean the count thingy, or ally?" Nicolas stepped into the middle of the room with the grace of a born performer. "Both, I assure you, are true. The title of Comte ..
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Lauren Willig |
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120c829
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I'll believe it when I see it, missy. Snakes don't change their scales, no matter how many times he"--Miss Gwen poked her sword parasol in the Gardener's general direction--"changes his name. What has it been? Four names so far? Five? It's getting hard to keep track. Make up your mind already."
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Lauren Willig |
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ae8dc8d
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He paused for dramatic effect, waiting until all eyes were on him before turning and looking at Jane, an intimate, heavy-lidded look designed just for her--and his audience. Holding out both hands to her, he said in a voice designed to carry, "It is traditional, is it not, for an alliance to be sealed with a marriage?" Taking Jane's hands, he drew her forward, into the center of the room, where everyone could have the best possible view. Ja..
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Lauren Willig |
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b50c2f7
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A Frenchman, judging from the black turtleneck and the fact that his armpit was a deodorant-free zone.
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Lauren Willig |
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7c46096
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He turned as she entered, barely visible in the dusky room. "Am I to wish you happy?" Jane stopped short. After all these weeks together, everything they had shared. "That's all? That's all you have to say?" Jack pushed away from the window. "What am I meant to do? Duel for you?" He jerked a thumb back in the direction of the armory. "He would win." "I never asked you to duel for me!" She would do her own dueling, thank you very much. Jack ..
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Lauren Willig |
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20a7cef
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Jack's fingers closed around her shoulders. Jane could feel his labored breaths, the ragged movement of his chest. "You show up looking like that--wearing his dress, his jewels, his perfumes. What in the hell am I supposed to think?" He released her, stepping back. "My congratulations, Countess. You'll make a beautiful ornament at the court of Louis the Eighteenth." Jane had always prided herself on her ability to retain her poise, even in ..
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Lauren Willig |
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2ea0d00
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Miles was frantically trying to rearrange his cravat and smooth down his hair. 'Damn. No time to stop off at home and get my valet to tidy me up. Oh well. Give Hen a kiss for me.' Richard shot him a sharp look. 'On the cheek, man, on the cheek. God knows I'd never try anything improper with your sister. Not that she isn't a beautiful girl and all that, it's just, well, she's your sister.' Richard clapped his friend on the shoulder in approv..
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Lauren Willig |
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aea52df
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You're not holding it against Jane that Gwen asked her to bring you home? I didn't know," he added quickly. "Not until the plan was in motion. And by then--" "I don't imagine many people say no to Mrs. Reid," said Jack dryly. "Not within range of her parasol." His father grinned at him. Reluctantly, Jack found himself grinning back. Even at his angriest he had never been entirely proof against his father's charm. It was part of the reason h..
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Lauren Willig |
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606da69
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Amy tugged Edouard across the courtyard towards the carriage. A great deal of tugging was required; Edouard eyed the filth on the cobbles with extreme distaste, mincing in Amy's wake with all the care of a young lady in new-white slippers on a rainy day. Richard grinned at the sight. Everyone knew that Edouard de Balcourt had servants run ahead of him to lay wooden planks across the streets so he wouldn't get his fine shoes and stockings di..
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Lauren Willig |
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82b5438
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Jane leaned her head against a rough bit of brickwork. She couldn't say that she hadn't been warned. She'd known what Jack was before they began working together. But she hadn't known all the other things he was: the kindness, the fundamental decency of him. Beneath the layer of deliberate devil-may-care, his moral code was as stern as hers, and he was, she realized, a great deal better at seeing to the needs of others. She tried to remembe..
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Lauren Willig |
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57b8fe7
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Don't worry," said Lizzy brightly, dancing into the chamber in a peculiar costume that was part Robin Hood and part Paris frock. "I have my crossbow." Nicolas regarded the costume appreciatively. "That is a most unusual ensemble, mademoiselle. But becoming." "I know," said Lizzy. "And I still have my crossbow." Nicolas bowed his head in acknowledgment."
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Lauren Willig |
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516b258
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Freethinking, Lady Frederick?" She hated that name. It was like a shackle around her neck, engraved with the name of her master. She took a step back, her face openly mutinous in the light of the single lamp. "I don't like being told what to do." Captain Reid quirked an eyebrow. "I shall remember that." Unexpectedly, Penelope grinned. "No, I don't expect you will. But I shall keep reminding you." Turning her back on him quite deliberately, ..
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Lauren Willig |
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4bbc874
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Jane's been captured?" Lady Henrietta surged forward like the statue on the prow of a ship. "She's gone in," Jack corrected shortly. "Voluntarily." "And you let her?" Lady Henrietta's eyes were as wide as they could go. A dry cackle came from the hatch that led to the nether regions of the yacht. "Have you ever seen anyone 'let' Jane do anything?" A parasol emerged first, a purple parasol, the point hitting the deck with a force that made M..
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miss-gwen
purple
jack
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Lauren Willig |
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a4027f1
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After an initial startled gasp, his intended bride dissolved into his arms, returning his kiss with more fervor than she had ever shown before. They were on the verge of being married, after all. Amazing what a difference imminent vows could make. Her hands, originally poised against his chest as though to push him back, slid slowly up to his shoulders and stayed there, as her head tilted back, her lips matched to his. ... It was quite some..
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Lauren Willig |
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e010779
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His father clasped his shoulders, holding him at arm's length, looking him up and down. "You've grown." "It's been eleven years," said Jack numbly. "Of course I've grown."
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Lauren Willig |
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88d60d8
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I have nothing to say," she said in a tight little voice. "If you have, I wish you would just say it and get it over with. I'm sure we both have other things to do this afternoon." Alex's hands grasped her by the shoulders and turned her bodily around to face him. Up close, his face wasn't expressionless at all. The expression on display appeared to be intense irritation. "Damn it, Penelope," he said harshly. "Don't play games. Do you?" ..
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Lauren Willig |
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35774c6
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counterpane
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Lauren Willig |
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29409f9
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he just didn't want to share him with anyone. Ever. She wanted to be the person his eyes sought out in a crowded ballroom, the person he nudged when he had a really smashing joke he just had to tell, the first person he saw when he woke up in the morning, and the last person he spoke to when he went to bed at night. She wanted to be the one whose ear he whispered in at the opera, and the one perched next to him in his alarmingly tottery pha..
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Lauren Willig |
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770b8d8
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It's just a devilish odd coincidence. I shared a boat - and a carriage - with Balcourt's sister and cousin." "I didn't realise he had a sister." "Well, he does." Richard abruptly pushed away his empty bowl. "What a great stroke of luck! Could you use the acquaintance with the sister to discover more about Balcourt's activities?" "That," Richard said grimly, "is not an option." Geoff eyed him quizzically. "I realise that any sister of Balcou..
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Lauren Willig |
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0a17bcb
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Richard!" On Hortense's lips, the name was soft and exotic, Reeshard. She demanded of him in French, "When did you return?" Richard bowed over Mme Bonaparte's hand before kissing her daughter's. "I returned Monday night." "And you have not called until now! Cad! Is he not a beast, Mama, to have deprived us of his company for so long? Eugene will be disappointed to have missed you - he is off at the theatre tonight." Amy was about to back qu..
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Lauren Willig |
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497c2a2
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myself in love with her,' he repeated,
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Lauren Willig |
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4b4df72
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Jack's throat worked as he looked out across the waves. "How much of a chance do you think she has against the Gardener?" Miss Gwen didn't belittle or make light of his concerns. "The man's twisty; I'll give him that. And there was a time . . . There was a time when he might have been a danger to her." She looked shrewdly at Jack. "I take it that is no longer likely to be a concern." Was he wearing a sign on his chest? Jack felt like a raw ..
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Lauren Willig |
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78eb8ec
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It didn't take peering at the brass plates at the bottom of the paintings to guess who they must have been: my very own Lord and Lady Uppington, presiding over Uppington Hall in paint as they once had in the flesh. One could almost picture them stepping out of their frames to play host, sweeping aside the tourists and signaling the silent harp into song. The re-enactors were all wrong; from their costumes, they were late Regency, 1820 or so..
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Lauren Willig |
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49e8f94
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Swooning solves nothing.
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Lauren Willig |
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a00deaf
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embroidered Louis XV chair, legs crossed at the
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Lauren Willig |
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23909ba
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Unfortunately, I knew exactly what I was suffering from. LIPID (Last Idiot Person I Dated) syndrome: a largely undiagnosed but pervasive disease that afflicts single women. My roommates and I had come up with the term in college, to explain the baffling phenomenon of nostalgia for one's most recent ex. No matter how absolutely awful that person had been at the time, after a few weeks, the relationship would take on a rosy tint, and wistful ..
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Lauren Willig |
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5c89219
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If Amy had been around for the creation of the world, Jane had no doubt that she would have chivvied the Lord into creating the earth in two days rather than seven.
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Lauren Willig |
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52b3598
|
Amy was mentally packing for a midnight flight to the mail coach to Dover (plan C), when Jane's gentle voice cut through the listing of ovine pedigrees. "Such a pity about the tapestries," was all she said. Her voice was pitched low but somehow it carried over both the shouting men. Amy glanced sharply at Jane, and was rewarded by a swift kick to the ankle. Had that been a 'say something now!' kick, or a 'be quiet and sit still' kick? Amy k..
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Lauren Willig |