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Eleanor blinked. This was not the reaction she’d anticipated. “You do realize that you’ll have to dress appropriately?”

Danni grinned. “Relax, Princess. I’ve got this covered. I clean up pretty nicely, don’t you worry.”

Eleanor wasn’t entirely convinced. But as she watched Danni, casual and confident, she couldn’t help but wonder just what she’d gotten herself into this time.

Chapter Twenty-One

Danni tugged at the collar of her shirt, scowling into the mirror as Indi fussed over her tie. “Isn’t it too tight?”

“It’s fine,” Indi said, slapping Danni’s hand away. “You’re going to a fancy event, we don’t go looking like we just wrestled a sheep, remember?”

“I did just wrestle a sheep,” Danni said with a grin. “One got stuck on the cattle grid coming over from the front field and the damn thing wouldn’t keep still while I freed it.”

“Of course you did,” sighed Indi, standing back to look at her work. “Not bad.”

“And, to be clear, I don’t object to wearing the fancy suit,” Danni said, looking at herself in the mirror. “I like wearing the fancy suit. I’d wear the fancy suit every single day if I could, due to the fact that I look hot as all get out in it. I just want it to look perfect.”

She turned side to side, eyeing her reflection. The suit was black, tailored so that it hit every single curve thanks to Indi’s clever needlework. The tie was slightly loose, just the way she liked it, her boots were heeled and polished to a shine. She looked like she could take on the world, like a Georgian rake with her curls slipping over one eye. She grinned at herself.

“Not bad,” Indi said.

“You’d jump me if you were at all into girls,” Danni said.

“I might jump you anyway,” said Indi. “You look like an evil villain in that suit.”

“Think Eleanor’ll approve?” Danni asked with a smirk.

Indi gave her a knowing look. “Oh, she’ll approve alright. Whether or not she’ll resist is another question. But I’m guessing from your look that you don’t want Eleanor to resist, right?”

“I… I want Eleanor to do what she wants,” Danni said, looking away from her reflection. “But if you’re asking whether I’d throw her out of bed, the answer’s no.”

“You’re sleeping on the couch,” Indi pointed out. “She’d be the one throwing you out of bed. And it looks like the jury’s still out on that one.” She hesitated. “Just… be careful, Dan, alright? Eleanor seems nice, but she’s from a different world, you know that. You don’t want to get your heart broken.”

“Eleanor’s not like that,” said Danni. “She’s different. Not like other rich people. As for getting my heart broken, not going to happen. My heart’s made of steel, can’t be broken even if you tried.”

Indi crossed her arms. “She’s only sticking around temporarily, Dan. Don’t go falling for someone that can be gone tomorrow.”

“I can handle myself,” Danni said.

Indi sighed. “Fine, fine. I know you can. I’m just trying to give you some wisdom, that’s all. Tommy says you’ve been waltzing around the farm like that woman out of The Sound of Music all week.”

“Tommy should learn to mind his own business,” Danni said.

Just then, headlights swept through the window, and Indi nodded toward the back door of the pub. “Sound like your ride’s here. Now go and charm your lady.”

With a grin, Danni practically skipped out.

???

Eleanor sat in her car, fingers drumming against the steering wheel. This was a mistake. It had to be a mistake. A massive, ridiculous mistake. What had she been thinking inviting Danni to the Hunt Ball? Alright, she’d done fine at the country club, but this was a whole different level of society. This was…

Danni stepped out of the pub door.

She stepped out and strolled in front of the car, lit by the headlights, and Eleanor lost the ability to think. She lost the ability to breathe.

The tailored suit fit her like a second skin. The white of the shirt against her tanned skin made Eleanor’s mouth water. The tie was slightly undone, like someone had just pulled it, dragging her in for a kiss. And those high heels at the end of long, long legs encased in the tightest trousers Eleanor thought she’d ever seen.

Danni opened the car door. “Not bad, eh?”