The duke and I julia Quinn

mad?
'" 
"I thought this might be his reaction," Daphne murmured. 
"Are you both completely, irrevocably, abominably 
insane?"
Anthony's voice rose to a roar. "I 
don't know which of you is more clearly the idiot." 
"Will you hush!" Daphne hissed. "Mother will hear you." 
"Mother would perish of heart failure if she knew what you were about," Anthony retorted, but 
he did use a softer tone. 
"But 
Mother
is not going to hear of it, is she?" Daphne shot back. 
"No, she's not," Anthony replied, his chin jutting forward, "because your little scheme is 
finished as of this very moment." 
Daphne crossed her arms. "You can't do anything to stop me." 
Anthony jerked his head toward Simon. "I can kill 
him.
" 

---

"Don't be ridiculous." 
"Duels have been fought for less." 
"By idiots!" 
"I'm not disputing the title as regards to 
him.
" 
"If I might interrupt," Simon said quietly. 
"He's your best friend!" Daphne protested. 
"Not," Anthony said, the single syllable brimming with barely contained violence, "anymore." 
Daphne turned to Simon with a huff. "Aren't you going to 
say
anything?" 
His lips quirked into an amused half-smile. "And when would I have had the chance?" 
Anthony turned to Simon. "I want you out of this house." 
"Before I may defend myself?" 
"It's my house, too," Daphne said hotly, "and I want him to stay." 
Anthony glared at his sister, exasperation evident in every inch of his posture. "Very well," he 
said, "I'll give you two minutes to state your case. No more." 
Daphne glanced hesitantly at Simon, wondering if he'd want to use the two minutes himself. But 
all he did was shrug, and say, "Go right ahead. He's 
your
brother." 
She took a fortifying breath, planted her hands on her hips without even realizing it, and said, 
"First of all, I must point out that I have far more to gain from this alliance than his grace. He 
says he wishes to use me to keep the other women—" 
"And their mothers," Simon interrupted. 
"—and their mothers at bay. But frankly"—Daphne glanced at Simon as she said this—"I think 
he's wrong. The women aren't going to stop pursuing him just because they think he might have 
formed an attachment with another young lady—especially when that young lady is 
me
." 
"And what is wrong with you?" Anthony demanded. 
Daphne started to explain, but then she caught a strange glance pass between the two men. 
"What was that all about?" 
"Nothing," Anthony muttered, looking a trifle sheepish. 

---

"I explained to your brother your theory on why you have not had more suitors," Simon said 
gently. 
"I see." Daphne pursed her lips as she tried to decide whether that was something she ought to 
be irritated about. "Hmmph. Well, he should have figured that out on his own." 
Simon made an odd snorting sound that might have been a laugh. 
Daphne leveled a sharp look at both men. "I do hope my two minutes do not include all of these 
interruptions." 
Simon shrugged. "He's the timekeeper." 
Anthony clutched at the edge of the desk, probably, Daphne thought, to keep himself from going 
for Simon's throat. "And 
he"
he said menacingly, "is going to find himself headfirst through the 
goddamned window if he doesn't shut up." 
"Did you know I have always suspected that men were idiots," Daphne ground out, "but I was 
never positive until today." 
Simon grinned. 
"Allowing for interruptions," Anthony bit off, shooting yet another deadly glare in Simon's 
direction even as he spoke to Daphne, "you have a minute and a half left." 
"Fine," she snapped. "Then I'll reduce this conversation to one single fact. Today I had six 
callers. Six! Can you recall the last time I had six callers?" 
Anthony just stared at her blankly. 
"I can't," Daphne continued, in fine form now. "Because it