TER

he bel

needs. "Here, my lord." The steps we

g the girl on the seat. Jimmy pee

ght of Dr. Edward, the family physician, only to recall that Edward had retired to the cou

red grimly. "An

s drawled, "keeping rather late hours, aren't we..."He broke off at the sight of his brother. In his arms

ghly polished floor. Her head rolled over Sylveste

yes to his brother. "Sy

ulius. Bleedin

God! S

was clipped and abrupt. "Let's ge

ared the landing, and proceeded down the hall,

e hell h

the street in St. Giles

Julius thrust open

a hard look as he b

g his chest and still dressed in his night

of linen," Sylvester ordered

aked and shivering and white as snow. It hadn't taken long to reach his town

he realized she wa

ped off the silly bonnet she wore. A cascade of gold

e fumbled with the sodden, knotted ties of her cloak. Dingy with age, it was the same muddy co

d stale ale and grease. A

rs. At last the ties came undone, and he eased the

She's rather ...she appears to

size of her belly, especially considering the narrow frame of her shoulders. He frowned. Yet there was somethi

mp

r belly to be as soft as it looked. His lips compress

ine dropped from his fingers to the sodden cloak now pooled on the e

us sounded utterly s

ently

he heard Julius's voice. "Why the deuce

a ruse. My guess is that the twine and th

," Julius

thief,

s nothing c

ething in one of her hands,

to loosen

ened. "Mine," she

pared it no glance, but dumped it into his pocket with an

lying in the streets. She might have been trampled. If i

sprouted a con

path and lead a life of utter respectability-

banter was common place. As they spoke, Sylvest

ester saw at the same instant. His gaze settled on a jagged puncture that seared the flesh of her right side. If she was

bed a wad of linen and pushed her to her side, one hand on her shoulder. Before long,

very hands. Her head turned, and he saw her eyes were open; she stared directly into his face. They were pleading, those eyes.

ius's assistance, he pressed a thick, clean pad over the wound, then wrapped sev

eathe. With a tail of cloth, he gent

ully pale," ob

l. Her frame was delicate, her limbs petite and slender, much like their sister, Juliann

Besides, I'd trust you far more than I would any physician." His tone lightened. "My brother the hero, tending

return to England from the Peninsula, he was only too glad to relegate his war memories to a far distant place where he n

ased his patie

they'd been too engrossed in the commotion to truly take notice of her. But now both

oral rose in the garden at Lloyd Hall? Julianna adores it, remember? Sunrise, I believe it's calle

over her breasts. "Julius!

lind. Nor, I da

"If possible, I should like to tend her w

ou wish me

s back in with more hot water. Soap, too. And h

banished, I should like to offer a word of

okes stow away the valuabl

man of the streets in the house, you know. She may wel

ulius merely laughed

ed the situation quite humorous. Damn it all! He needed no reminde

ing trouble beli