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good man. I am only here to meet the chit and tell her the news about Sherbrooke. I apologize for her
misbehavior, and I give you my word that it will stop as soon as I have spoken with her. But I cannot
take her. It is out of the question. I am due in London to spend the holidays with my family.
 Well, if you wish to turn her out on the street, that is certainly not my affair. I am discharging her . . . to
you. Scratching out his signature, Mr. Reed handed him a piece of paper that proved to be a writ of
release.  There you are. Congratulations, my lord. I m sure Major Sherbrooke would be very grateful.
 This is unconscionable! Do I look like some sort of nursemaid to you? I am in no wise equipped to take
up the care of a child without so much as a moment s forewarning!
 My dear colonel, whatever gave you the notion that Miss FitzHubert is a child?
Damien stared at him in alarm, his heart pounding.  What is she, then, a banshee?
 See for yourself. Miss Brocklehurst! he called toward the door.  Bring in FitzHubert!
Damien turned as the door opened. An older woman, pinch-faced and hard-featured, marched in and
nodded to him.
 This is Miss Brocklehurst, Mr. Reed told him.
 Come along, then, the headmistress said sharply to someone in the hall.
 And this, Mr. Reed said in disapproval that verged on animosity,  is Miranda.
She walked in, her chin high, her green eyes blazing, ready for a fight.
Damien took one look at her and felt the solid earth fall away virtually from under his feet.
He stood rooted to the spot, his heart beating wildly. For a second he was not sure. It could not be it
was not possible. Her appearance was so changed. But when her emerald eyes locked with his and she
paused in midstride with a gasp of shock, he knew there could be no mistake. It was the one woman in
all the world he never wanted to see again: the indomitable Snow White.
She turned that very color, the roses draining from her cheeks as she gaped at him, panic-stricken.
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Damien trained his stunned gaze over her, scarcely able to believe his eyes at her transformation from
scantily clad siren to this picture of demure innocence. She was dressed in a light beige walking gown
with neat white gloves. Her luxurious mane of dark, wavy hair that had spilled down her back in such
reckless profusion last night was plaited in two schoolgirlish braids with small white ribbons on the ends.
 My lord, allow me to present Miss Miranda FitzHubert, Mr. Reed intoned.  Miss FitzHubert, this is
Colonel the earl of Winterley. Your new guardian.
 Mywhat ? She gasped, looking from the minister to him, but Damien could only stare at her, at a loss.
His thoughts whirled, the puzzle pieces falling together with a fateful clang. An honest girl. Her refusal
to tell him her real name. Her actress mother, lost to her. Mr. Reed s report of her rebellious behavior.
The school sat only about a mile from the Pavilion. He thought of the way she had soaked up the
applause last night.
God help him, the truth was inescapable. This luscious, headstrong, impossible creature, who had
flaunted her sweet body on stage before him and half the men of Birmingham; who had melted in his
arms, then ditched him the moment he turned his back; who had nearly gotten him killed, traipsing blithely
past a colony of criminals; this angel-faced disaster waiting to happen was little Miranda FitzHubert.
Totally his and totally forbidden.
Oh, my God,he thought.I nearly debauched my own ward. For the first time in years that he could
remember, the task before him gave him pause. The ravishing image of her in her gauzy lavender gown
flashed again through his mind along with the memory of her warm, satiny lips parting for his kiss in
hungry innocence. He trembled with dread at the agonizing temptation she presented.
 Will somebody please tell me what is going on? the little deceiver cried in fright.
Damien steeled himself and glanced at Mr. Reed.  Leave us, he ordered.
Miranda s heartbeat was a panicked staccato. She had walked in braced for a flogging, but this was
possibly worse. She could not believe the gray-eyed beast had tracked her down, but after what she had
seen last night, she was half convinced he possessed supernatural powers granted him by the devil. An
earl! she thought in dread. She knew what that meant.Earl meant a man who could do what he pleased
to whomever he pleased, slay lowlifes without compunction.Earl meant rich. Rich enough to buy or bribe
his way into possession of a girl who had dared to refuse his advances.
She had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that Mr. Reed had just sold her down the river to this
deadly creature and why should he not? she thought wildly. Her Uncle Jason was nowhere on hand to
protect her.
The headmaster slunk by like a cringing dog, obeying Colonel Lord Winterley without argument.
Miranda bit her lip against the temptation to beg the vile creature to stay. She was scared to death to be
left alone with her terrifying rescuer, but it was not as though she could reveal to Mr. Reed that they had
already met, had already kissed, had already been guiltily bonded by blood. She feared it was time to
pay the piper.
When the door closed, they stared at each other in wary silence.
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Miranda trailed her gaze over him, marveling, for by daylight, he was even more severely beautiful than
she remembered, with his striking combination of jet-black hair and pale gray eyes. In their crystalline
depths, she could still see the predator lurking within him, but on the surface, he was all immaculate
precision, gleaming and correct. She recalled how his smart red uniform had been bloodied and torn
during the fight, but now his elegant civilian clothes were tailored to perfection. His white silk cravat was [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]