He did not see how she could doubt for a moment that she be­longed with him. She looked right at home sitting there at the other end of the breakfast table. The morning sun streamed through the window behind her. It turned her hair the color of the warm honey that was in the little pot next to the toast. A shaft of lazy desire went through Sebastian as he remembered how Prudence's hair had looked earlier when it was fanned out across the white pillows of his bed.

"I shall accompany you to interview the tobacconists," Prudence announced.

"No, you will not." He forked up another bite of sausage. "I intend to make as much progress as possible today. There is no way of know­ing how many shops I shall be required to visit."

I brows snapped together in a straight line across the rim of her specta-■ cles. "I would remind you that we are supposed to be a team, sir."

Sebastian knew it was time to tread warily. He was rapidly learning the business of being a husband, he thought wryly.

"You misunderstand me, my dear." He smiled benignly. "The fact of the matter is that if the pair of us are seen visiting a series of I tobacconists, someone might notice and think it odd. Questions might I be asked."

"Perhaps I could disguise myself as a footman or a groom. No one would question my presence if I looked like a member of your house­hold staff, would they?"

"My entire household staff would certainly wonder about it," Se-I bastian said brusquely. "Not to mention anyone else who might's chance to recognize you." The thought of Prudence traipsing about in I men's attire sent a wave of outrage through him.

Prudence frowned in thought. "I think it would work very well, my i‘ lord. I believe that after breakfast I shall just nip downstairs and see I what I can find in the way of livery."

At that point Sebastian abandoned strategy and diplomacy and fell | back on ruthless threats.

"If you try that trick, madam, I promise you I will find myself I unable to accompany you to the Arlington ball tonight."

"Sebastian, you wouldn't." Acute dismay filled her eyes. "You I must put in an appearance tonight. I am told that several members of I your family will be there, including your aunt and your cousin Jer-I emy."

"As far as I'm concerned, that is an excellent reason for not put-I ting in an appearance. In any event, I wouldn't be surprised to learn I that Lady Arlington has deliberately planned her damned ball with i the express purpose of producing a scene for the ton."

"Come, now, Sebastian, that is highly unlikely. She is trying to be polite."

"My dear, you may be very intelligent, but you are amazingly naive I at times."

"Lady Arlington's ball will be the first occasion on which the mem-I bers of your family will all be gathered together in public. If you don't turn up, the Fleetwoods will be humiliated in front of the ton."

He was thoroughly amused. "Do you think that matters to me?"

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well that if you fail to show up tonight it will add fuel to the notion that there is a feud within your family."

"The feud is very real, Prue." Sebastian put down his knife and folded his arms on the table. "And you would be well advised to remember just which side you are on. Furthermore, it would be most unwise of you to try to play peacemaker. I want no part of the Fleet-woods, and that's final."

"Really, Sebastian."

"Yes, really." Having taken his stand, Sebastian knew better than to back down. Prudence would spot any weakness in his defenses in an instant. "Now, then, if you wish me to put in an appearance at the Arlington ball, you had best forget any notion of dressing up in a footman's livery."

"Now, see here, Angelstone, just because we happen to be mar­ried, you must not get the idea that you can start giving orders and making threats in the manner of ordinary husbands."

He gave her a cool, quizzical smile. "You do not consider me an ordinary husband?"

"Certainly not." She refolded her napkin and set it beside her plate with an air of grave precision. "Our alliance is supposed to be a partnership. Two like-minded individuals joined together by the bonds of mutual interests, if you will recall."

"I recall the terms of our bargain very well." Sebastian got to his feet.

Prudence watched warily as he walked toward her. "Sebastian?"

Sebastian said nothing. When he reached the far end of the table he leaned down and kissed Prudence full on her surprised mouth. She tasted delicious. He had a sudden urge to make love to her right there on the breakfast table. The only thing that stopped him was the real­ization that Flowers could enter the room at any moment.

"As you said, ours is an alliance based on mutual interests." He brushed his mouth across hers again and felt her tremble in response. "And some of our mutual interests were particularly stimulating last night. I look forward to more of the same tonight."

She glowered at him suspiciously through her spectacles. "Do not think that you can manipulate me with… with that sort of thing, Angelstone."

"What sort of thing would that be? This, perhaps?" He nibbled her earlobe and let his hand drift down over the modest fichu that

"You know precisely what I mean, sir."

"Do I?" He palmed her breast and was well satisfied by the re­sponse he got. Prudence's cheeks turned pink and a delightfully flus­tered look replaced the wifely chastisement in her eyes.

"Be off with you," she muttered. "And do not forget the Arlington ball tonight or I shall never forgive you."

Sebastian now smiled faintly at the memory of the morning and poured himself another cup of coffee from the pot he and Garrick were sharing.

As he sipped his coffee, he contemplated the thought of Prudence seated opposite him at breakfast every morning for the rest of their lives and wondered how he had ever gotten along without her there.

Garrick scanned the advertisements in the paper he was reading. "Thought I'd take myself off to Tattersall's after a bit and see what they're offering. I could use a good hunter." He looked up. "What will you be about today?"

"I have some business to attend to."

"Ah, I recognize that tone in your voice." Garrick grinned briefly. "It is the one you use when you are in the process of conducting one of your little investigations. Pray do not tell me that you are so bored with married life already that you must seek out your old amuse­ments."

"I assure you, married life is anything but dull. But I have not given up my hobby."

"I see." Garrick eyed him curiously. "Does your lady know what you do to entertain yourself?"

"She knows."

"And approves?"

"She has no complaints," Sebastian said.

Garrick chuckled. "I congratulate you, Angelstone. I do believe you have married the one woman in all of England who is capable of understanding you."

"I am certain of it."

The only thing that worried Sebastian was that Prudence might not be as well satisfied with married life as he was.

He told himself that the matter was settled. Prudence belonged to him now. He had claimed her under the law and in the privacy of the marriage bed. And she had given herself to him with a willing passion that should have reassured him.

istfulness that made him uneasy. He could not forget her words that ight at Curling Castle. Some might say that love would be a nice addi-on to the list.

For all her intellect and her admirable powers of logic, Prudence ‘as a woman. Sebastian suspected that she had a woman's romantic ttitude toward marriage. She had wanted to marry for love.

He was well aware that he had deliberately coerced Prudence into hasty wedding. He had done so using all the weapons at his com-land. He had justified the ruthless tactics by telling himself that she ‘ould be happy with him.

She was old enough and intelligent enough to realize that what-ver emotion she had felt for Underbrink was fleeting and insubstan-ial. In any event, the pompous ass had betrayed her affections. She ould never trust Underbrink again. Surely she knew that.

it four o'clock that afternoon a portion of Sebastian's brain was till pondering the unexpected dilemmas posed by marriage. But a ood deal of his attention was now focused on a more immediate roblem.

Thus far he had visited nearly half a dozen tobacconists in a fruit-;ss search to find one who could identify the blend of snuff in the mall snuffbox Prudence had discovered in the black chamber.

It had seemed a relatively simple task when he had set out on his lission. But thus far no one recognized the blend.

He went up the steps of one R. H. Goodwright, tobacconist, with-ut much hope. Goodwright was number six on Sebastian's list.

Sebastian glanced at the life-size wooden carving of a Highlander tiat guarded the shop entrance. The statue's dress was painted in the olors of a famous regiment. The popular symbol of the snuff dealer's rade was similar to the five other wooden Highlanders Sebastian had lready seen that afternoon.

If he did not have any luck here, Sebastian decided, he would have a seek out less successful establishments in less fashionable streets, le had been working on the assumption that whoever had lost the nuffbox had been a member of the ton and therefore shopped in the etter establishments. Sebastian could not envision Curling inviting nyone to Curling Castle who did not move in fashionable circles.