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  Minutes passed.

  Bones opened the door.

  “Laurette,” he said, eyes wide with surprise. “Come in out of the cold. What are you doing out so late?”

  Laurette hurried inside. “Where is he?” she asked, a hand to her painfully throbbing heart. “Has he already gone? Am I too late?”

  Bones began to smile. “Ladd’s spending his last night out on the island. Alone.”

  Laurette reached out, grabbed Bones’s muscular arm. “I have to see him, Bones. I have to go to him. Will you take me?”

  Grinning broadly now, glad she had come to her senses before it was too late, Bones told her, “You’ll have to wait until tomorrow, Laurette. Ladd took the yacht. It’s at the island.” Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, he asked, “Are you afraid to take a small craft across the water at night?”

  “I’m afraid of nothing but losing Ladd forever.”

  Nodding his understanding, Bones said, “I’ll get you one of Ladd’s warm cloaks.” He went out into the foyer, took down a heavy woolen cloak and swirled it around her trembling shoulders. “I’ll wake up the coachman, have him drive us to the levee.”

  “Hurry,” she said, “please hurry.”

  “Ten minutes at the most,” he said and hurried toward the servants’ quarters.

  Nine minutes later Bones was handing Laurette up into the brougham for the ride to the harbor. When they reached the docks, Bones attempted to engage a steamer or a private yacht or a sailboat, without success. Laurette waited impatiently.

  “I’m sorry,” Bones said, returning to Laurette, “looks like we can’t get to the island tonight. Tomorrow, we can…”

  “I have to get there tonight,” she stated emphatically and, pointing, said, “What about one of those row boats?”

  Bones rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well,” he said, “the bay looks pretty calm tonight, but still…”

  “Please, Bones, I’ll help row. I have to see Ladd.”

  “Come on,” he said, taking her arm and guiding her toward one of the small row boats.

  The strong, powerfully built Bones rowed Laurette across the six miles of water to Ladd’s private island. When they reached the island’s dock, Bones rowed the tiny craft up alongside the wharf, tied the rope line to a post and stepped onto the wooden wharf. He extended his hand and helped Laurette out of the boat. He gave her an affectionate pat on the back and started to climb back into the boat.

  “Wait. Aren’t you coming with me?” she asked.

  “No,” he said. “This is between the two of you. I’m going to row myself right back to Mobile.”

  Momentarily overcome with doubt, she said, “You’re going to leave me alone? What if Ladd doesn’t—?”

  But Bones was gone.

  Laurette stood alone on the levee. She offered up a prayer, then turned and looked toward the beach house. Ladd was inside. Would he welcome her? Or banish her from sight? She drew a deep breath of the cold night air.

  With Ladd’s long black cloak billowing out behind her, Laurette began to run eagerly across the sandy shore toward the house where one lone lamp burned. A full moon shone down from the cold night sky.

  Ladd, gazing wistfully out the window, blinked with disbelief when he saw Laurette coming. He leaped up, rushed out of the house, down the steps and across the sand.

  By the time they met, both were laughing and crying with joy. Ladd lifted Laurette up into his arms and swung her around while she clung to his neck and declared, “Ladd, my darling, I lost you once. I can’t let it happen again.”

  Elated, Ladd replied, “Lollie, my love, my own, you’ll never lose me again this side of paradise.”

  ISBN: 978-1-4603-6395-9

  THE SCANDALOUS MISS HOWARD

  Copyright © 2002 by Nan Ryan.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, MIRA Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

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