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weakly.
    “Sorry?” Mama repeated angrily. “Sorry. You’re sorry? No, that’s not good enough, Liberty.”
    Liberty swallowed. She didn’t know what to say, or how to even start.
    “I demand to know exactly what happened in that room tonight.”
    “I took his clothes,” she admitted quietly.
    “Why?” Mama demanded, coming over to help her out of her gown.
    Liberty had always been one to own up to her mistakes when confronted, no matter how awful they were. This one just happened to be of gigantic proportions. “As you know, I detest Mr. Grimes. I had planned to make it look like he had forced himself upon me,” she said meekly, swallowing harder this time. “I thought if Papa believed he’d done something to harm me, his youngest daughter, he’d end his friendship with Mr. Grimes.”
    Mama stared at her as if she didn’t recognize her. Liberty knew it had been a bad idea, and saying it aloud only made it sound worse, but there it was. “That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard,” Mama declared. Her emphasis on the word “stupidest” made Liberty flinch. “Do you not realize what trouble you could have caused him?” Mama's voice echoing off the walls in her small bedchamber.
    Liberty gulped. “I’m sorry, Mama.”
    Mama shook her head in disgust. “Liberty, you’re my daughter and I love you. But this time you’ve gone too far. If the circumstances had been anything else I would have taken up in your defense and tried to talk Papa out of whatever punishment he had in mind for you, but not this time.”
    “It’s all right, Mama,” Liberty assured her. “I’ll accept whatever Papa has in mind.” Her words came out even, belying the turmoil she was fighting inside. What if he sent her back to America? What if he never spoke to her again? It was a foolish notion that he’d never speak to her again, but after the foolish thing she’d done, it could happen.
    “You do realize,” Mama said, breaking into her thoughts, “that Papa might demand you marry Mr. Grimes?”
    Liberty paled. Marriage? Marriage to Mr. Grimes? That possibility hadn’t entered her mind. “Oh,” she said, her voice sounded like a sharp staccato.
    “If that happens,” Mama continued, seeming oblivious of Liberty’s distress, “you will accept Mr. Grimes’ suit and be the perfect wife. Am I understood?”
    Still numb to the idea she might be forced to marry her archenemy, Liberty nodded her understanding.
    Neither of them said another word as Mama helped Liberty change and they descended the stairs together.
    Walking down to Papa’s study had never been so daunting. She would have had more bravado if not for the worry of having to be Mrs. Paul Grimes niggling in the back of her mind.
    “It’s about time,” Papa said sharply when she and Mama came into the room.
    Liberty’s eyes scanned the room and landed where Mr. Grimes was sitting in the corner. Of course the man was sitting, he wasn’t a gentleman. A gentleman would have stood when she’d entered the room. Apparently it was too much effort for Mr. Grimes to force himself to stand.
    Papa directed her to take a seat. With a wary glance from Papa to Mr. Grimes, she did as she was directed.
    Mr. Grimes’ face looked rigid, and if she were any judge, she’d say he looked like he would like to strangle her. His hair looked like he hadn’t bothered to brush it after his bath, and his clothes were slightly askew, probably from him just throwing them on. Her eyes slid down his body. Now that she’d seen him without his clothes, she knew exactly what he concealed under those clothes. She felt a blush creep up her face and hastily jerked her gaze away.
    “While you two were upstairs taking your sweet time getting yourselves down to this meeting, Mr. Grimes and I had a very enlightening conversation,” Papa said with a pointed glance at Liberty.
    Liberty sprang off her settee. “Please, Papa, don’t make me marry him!” she pleaded, pointing at Mr.