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Page 190
attack on Peter and what had happened afterward in her cabin. By the time she finished, they had reached the dining room, where the remainder of their party was waiting.
"It's wonderful what being on shipboard will teach you about people," Linda remarked as they sat down.
Rose-Anne looked up sharply from the menu she had picked up. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.
Peter looked up too, his face a courteous blank. Don't overdo it, Linda thought. Everyone already knows you like me.
"I learned that Donald has perfect balance," she said innocently. "And that's as rare a quality as perfect pitch, you know. He never lost a single step when the ship movedand he was the only man I danced with who didn't."
"Thank you, ma'am," Donald bowed his head in formal recognition of the compliment.
Mrs. Bates laughed. "I've been hearing all about last night's dissipations."
"Oh, have you? And did you hear that Linda is an accomplished cradle snatcher?" The remark might have been thoroughly unpleasant, but Rose-Anne's voice was light and teasing.
"Alas, too true," Linda confessed, pretending to hide her face in shame. "My most devoted attendant swain was about sixteen or seventeen" Her voice checked and her eyes widened in horror. "And I have the horrible feeling that my evil deed is going to haunt me for the rest of this trip," she added in a murmur as the young

 
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