My Dearest Enemy (41 page)

"I could," Jenny said firmly.

"And why is that, Puss?" Bernard asked.

In answer she fell to her knees and began rifling through the book until she came to the spot she wanted. "Here. Listen: '
My Dearest Enemy, Allow me to respond to the imbecilic notion that women should content themselves with being 'the spiritual hearth by which men warm themselves.' If a marts flesh is cold, I suggest investing in a good furnace. If his spirit is cold, I suggest a shot of whiskey
.' "

Her father threw back his head and laughed and Bernard smiled more broadly. "That's your mother for you," he said.

"No, sir," Jenny said. "My mother would never have been so mealy-mouthed. My mother would
fillet
any man who made such a ridiculous statement."

Both men glanced at Lily who, having seen Kathy's son restored to her, had regained her seat, and was listening quietly. She lifted her dark eyes to her daughter's.

"Quite right, Jenny," she said serenely with a smile at her husband. "But when one finds the rare gentleman worth the trouble of instructing, one can afford to be gentle."

Connie Brockway is also the author of the Mc-Clairen's Isle series:
The Passionate One, The Reckless One
, and
The Ravishing One
. Her other historical romances include
A Dangerous Man, All Through the Night
, and
As You Desire
. Connie Brockway loves to hear from readers. Please write her at P.O. Box 828, Hopkins, MN 55343 or visit her website for excerpts and reviews of all of her Dell books at www.conniebrockway.com.