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ALSO BY MARY BALOGH

The Ravenswood Series

REMEMBER LOVE

REMEMBER ME

The Westcott Series

SOMEONE TOLOVE

SOMEONE TOHOLD

SOMEONE TOWED

SOMEONE TOCARE

SOMEONE TOTRUST

SOMEONE TOHONOR

SOMEONE TOREMEMBER

SOMEONE TOROMANCE

SOMEONE TOCHERISH

SOMEONE PERFECT

The Survivors’Club Series

THE PROPOSAL

THE ARRANGEMENT

THE ESCAPE

ONLYENCHANTING

ONLYAPROMISE

ONLYAKISS

ONLYBELOVED

The Horsemen Trilogy

INDISCREET UNFORGIVEN

IRRESISTIBLE

The Huxtable Series

FIRST COMES MARRIAGE THENCOMES SEDUCTION AT LAST COMES LOVE

SEDUCINGANANGEL

ASECRET AFFAIR

The Simply Series

SIMPLYUNFORGETTABLE

SIMPLYLOVE

SIMPLYMAGIC

SIMPLYPERFECT

The Bedwyn Saga

SLIGHTLYMARRIED

SLIGHTLYWICKED

SLIGHTLYSCANDALOUS

SLIGHTLYTEMPTED

SLIGHTLYSINFUL

SLIGHTLYDANGEROUS

The Bedwyn Prequels

ONE NIGHT FOR LOVE

ASUMMER TOREMEMBER

The Mistress Trilogy

MORE THANAMISTRESS

NOMAN’S MISTRESS

THE SECRET MISTRESS

THE

THE IDEAL WIFE

THE SECRET PEARL

APRECIOUS JEWEL

ACHRISTMAS PROMISE

DARKANGEL / LORDCAREW’S BRIDE

AMATTER OF CLASS

THE TEMPORARYWIFE / APROMISE OF SPRING

THE FAMOUS HEROINE / THE PLUMEDBONNET

ACHRISTMAS BRIDE / CHRISTMAS BEAU

ACOUNTERFEIT BETROTHAL / THE NOTORIOUS RAKE

UNDER THE MISTLETOE

BEYONDTHE SUNRISE

LONGING

HEARTLESS

SILENT MELODY

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Names:Balogh,Mary,author Title:Alwaysremember/Mary Balogh

Description:NewYork:Berkley,[2024]|Series:ARavenswoodnovel

Identifiers:LCCN2023013949(print)|LCCN2023013950(ebook)|ISBN9780593638385(hardcover)|ISBN9780593638392(ebook)

Subjects:LCGFT:Romancefiction |Historicalfiction |Novels

Classification:LCCPR6052A465A782024(print)|LCCPR6052A465(ebook)|DDC823/914--dc23/eng/20230327

LCrecordavailableathttps://lccnlocgov/2023013949 LCebookrecordavailableathttps://lccnlocgov/2023013950

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Coverimageby LeeAvison/TrevillionImages

Bookdesignby GeorgeTowne,adaptedforebookby Kelly Brennan

Thisisaworkoffiction Names,characters,places,andincidentseitheraretheproductoftheauthor’simaginationorareusedfictitiously,andany resemblancetoactualpersons,livingordead,business establishments,events,orlocalesisentirely coincidental

Cover

Also by Mary

Balogh

Title Page

The Ware Family of Ravenswood

ChapterOne

ChapterTwo

ChapterThree

ChapterFour

ChapterFive

ChapterSix

ChapterSeven

ChapterEight

ChapterNine

ChapterTen

ChapterEleven

ChapterTwelve

ChapterThirteen

ChapterFourteen

ChapterFifteen

ChapterSixteen

ChapterSeventeen

ChapterEighteen

ChapterNineteen

ChapterTwenty

ChapterTwenty-One

ChapterTwenty-Two

ChapterTwenty-Three

ChapterTwenty-Four

ChapterTwenty-Five

About the Author

CHAPTER ONE

Summer hadsettledover southernEnglandinamostagreeablemanner,withlongdays ofwarmsunshine,gentlebreezes, andjustenoughrainfalltohelpthecropsyieldabountifulharvestandtokeeptrees,lawns,andpasturesfreshandgreen. Flowersbloomedincolorfulabundance,whetherwildoverhedgerowsandwalls,inditchesandmeadows,orcultivatedwith lovingcareingardensandbeds

TheEnglish,ofcourse,couldneverquiterelaxintofullenjoymentofsuchaperfectsummer.Howlongcouldoneexpectit to last, after all? There would always be pessimists squinting off to the west, whence most weather approached, nodding sagelyasthoughtheycouldseesomethingbeyondthebenthorizoninvisibletoeveryoneelse,andpredictingthattheywould payfor sucha perfectspell. Eventhe optimists were readyto admititcould notlastforever, and inthatatleasttheywere boundtoberightsoonerorlater.

TheWarefamilyofRavenswoodHallinHampshire,theinhabitantsofthevillageofBoscombejustacrosstheriverfrom it,andresidentsofthesurroundingcountrysidebecameespeciallyanxious whenJunepassedintoJulyandtherewasstill no breakinthe beautiful weather. For it seemed impossible that it could last a whole monthlonger. Yet a continuationof the perfectweatherwasalltheyaskedfor Theywouldnotbegreedy

TherewastobeagrandfeteintheneighborhoodonthelastSaturdayofJuly,andeveryonelookedforwardtoitwithan almostsicklonging.Foreightlongyearshadpassedsincethelastone.TheRavenswoodsummerfetehadoncebeenanannual eventandformostpeopletheirveryfavoritedayoftheyear,evenincludingChristmas.Ithadofferedfeastingandmusicand dancingandvariedcontestsandentertainmentforallagesfromthemiddleofthemorninguntillateatnight Theweatherhad always cooperated withbrightsunshine and blue skies andthe gentlestofbreezes and warmthwithoutsearingheat. Always. Askanyold-timersandtheywouldtellyouitwasso.Howeveryone hoped theeight-yearbreakwouldnotdestroythatstring ofgoodfortune Itmightrainwiththeir blessingontheSundayfollowingthefete,butplease, please letthe sunshine onthe Saturday.

Eight years ago the fete had come to an abrupt and horrible end in the middle of the grand ball with which the day’s festivitiesalwaysculminated DevlinWare,ViscountMountfordatthetime,sonandheiroftheEarlofStratton,thegenialand well-lovedownerofRavenswood,hadcomeuponhisfatherengagedinablatantlyimproperembracewithaladyguestoutin thetemplefollyontopofthehillclosetotheballroom.Butinsteadofkeepinghisshockandoutragetohimselfuntilitcouldbe dealt with privately at a more appropriate time, Devlin had confronted his father very publicly outside the open French windowsoftheballroom,inthesightandhearingofhisfamilyandvirtuallyeveryneighborformilesaround

Tocallitashockingscenewouldbeasevereunderstatement.

Ithad ended indisaster for the Ware familyand inintense embarrassmentfor everyone, evenneighbors and village folk whohadnoreasontobeembarrassed ExceptthattheyhadalwayssettheWaresofRavenswooduponsomesortofpedestal Theyhad seemed the perfectfamily, virtuous and happyamongthemselves, amiable toward all, impeccablywell mannered, unfailinglycharmingleadersofthecommunity.Theyhadalwaysbeengenerousaboutsharingtheirhomeandthespaciouspark surroundingitforcommunityeventsthatrangedfromtheextravagantgrandeurofthesummerfeteandthejoyfulwarmthofthe Christmas partyand ball to the funof the Valentine’s treasure hunt and tea and the impromptuand less formal invitationto publicdays,wheneveryonewaswelcometoenjoythebeautyoftheparkforpicnicsandwalks.

Everythinghadchangedafterthatnight.Theguestwhohadbeencaughtwiththeearl,asupposedwidowandnewcomerto the village, had disappeared overnight Devlinhad leftabruptlythe followingmorningwithhis elder halfbrother, notto be

seen again in the neighborhood for more than six years. Clarissa, Countess of Stratton, who had always been warm and hospitable,theperfecthostess,hadwithdrawnintoherhomeandintoherselfandwasrarelyseeninpublicexceptatchurchon Sundaymornings.Her sons Nicholas andOwenhadleftsoonafter their elder brothers,onetobeginhis career as anofficer witha prestigious cavalryregiment, the other to attend boardingschool The elder daughter, LadyPhilippa Ware, a happynaturedbeautysparklingontheedgeofwomanhood,hadbecomesuddenlysubduedandeventuallyalmostatotalrecluse.The youngestchildofthefamily,LadyStephanieWare,onlynineyearsoldatthetimeofthefete,hadkeptmainlytoherselfandher familyandhergovernessexceptforherinvolvementwiththeyouthchoiratthechurch

The Earl ofStrattonhimself handsome, openhearted, and genial was the onlyone amongthemwho had carried onas thoughnothinguntowardhadhappened,asthoughhehadnotbeenexposedinthemosthumiliatinglypublicmannerimaginable as an almost certainadulterer and a probable philanderer on a larger scale Everyone knew, after all, that for most of his marriedlifehehadspentthespringmonthsofeachyearinLondonfortheparliamentarysession,whilehiswifeandchildren remained in the country. After the incident at the ball, several people admitted to having always felt uneasy about that arrangement. Was it realistic, they asked themselves, to have expected that their earl would remain celibate during those lengthyseparationsfromhiswife,whenLondonaboundedwithmembersofthe ton eager toamusethemselvesatthemyriad entertainmentsoftheSeason?

Lifeasusualafterthecatastrophehadnotlastedlongevenfortheearl,however.Hehadcollapsedatthevillagetavernone eveningwhilehedrankaleandchattedjoviallywithhisneighbors Accordingtothoseneighbors,hehadbeendeadbeforehe hitthefloor.

Thebiggestchangethecatastropheofthatsummerfetehadbroughttothosewholivedinthevillageandcountrysidearound Ravenswood,however,hadbeenthecompletecessationofallthesocialactivitiesforwhichtheearlandcountesshadopened their home since their marriage more thantwentyyears before. The countess had organized and hosted those events, and the earlhadpaidforthem.Nolonger.Opendays,twoorthreetimeseachweek,hadneverofficiallybeencanceled,buttheyhad cometoanendanyway Atfirstnoonehadwantedtointrudeuponwhatwasobviouslyadifficulttimeforthefamily Andwho wantedtheembarrassmentofcomingaccidentallyface-to-facewithoneormoreofthemandhavingto say something?Aftera while,ithadseemedjusttooawkwardtogobackthere.

Thentheearldied.

Twoyearshadpassedafter hisdeathbeforeDevlin,thenew Earl ofStratton,returnedhome,lookingverydifferentfrom thequiet,pleasant,essentiallyunremarkableyoungmanhisneighborsremembered.Hehadcomehome,attheageoftwentyeight, looking dour, even morose, and rugged and battle-scarred. He had purchased a commission in a foot regiment after leavinghomeandhadgonetoPortugaltofightinthePeninsularWars Hiselderhalfbrother,BenEllis hiselder, illegitimate halfbrother,thatis hadgonewithhim,nominallyashisbatman.ThealliedarmieshadfoughttheirwayacrossPortugaland Spainandover the Pyrenees intoFrance until NapoleonBonaparte surrenderedandabdicatedas emperor after the Battle of Toulouse in1814 Devlinhadsoldoutthen,the wars apparentlyover,andcome home Benhadbeenmarriedandwidowed duringthesixyearstheyhadbeengone,andbroughtaninfantchildhomewithhim HehadnotstayedatRavenswood Hehad purchasedthemanorofPenallenbytheseathirtymilesaway,spentayearorsorenovatingit,andfinallysettledtherewithhis daughter.

ThenewEarlofStratton,meanwhile,soforbiddinginlooksandmanner,hadsurprisedhisneighbors Atateahismother haddutifullyarrangedtowelcomehimhome,heannouncedthatRavenswoodwouldonceagainbeopenfor publicdaysand socialevents,andhecarriedthroughonhispromisealmostimmediatelybyofferingtheballroomforanupcomingassembly.It had been a great blessing to the villagers, for the assembly rooms above the inn were small and cramped and always so congestedonthoseeveningsthatitwasdifficulttofindspaceinwhichtodance.Therewastobeadifference,however,from theoldassembliesatthehall.AtDevlin’ssuggestion,theplanningwasdonenotbyhismotherbutbythelandlordoftheinn andhiswife,withthehelpofacommitteeofvillagers Thosewhoattendedpaidanadmissionchargetocovercostsincurred Thepresentearl’sonlycontributionwasthevenue.

Itwas not asignofmeannessonhispart.Quitethecontrary.Everyonewasdelightedbythenewarrangement,eventhough it had involved them in a great deal of work and some small expense or perhaps for those very reasons. Older people rememberedthetimewhenithadalwaysbeenthatway,whentheyhadallparticipatedinorganizingtheirownentertainments, and the involvementofthe Wares ofRavenswood had beenminimal. Theyhad done itagainduringthe years followingthe greatupsetatthehall,evenifithadbeenabithalfhearted,asthoughtheyhadfearedsomehowoffendingthefamilybyignoring themandcarryingonwiththeirlivesasiftheWaresandRavenswooditselfdidnotexist

The social life ofthe neighborhood had beenaltogether more robustand cheerful inthe two years since Devlin’s return Everyonehadcontinuedtohaveahandintheirownindividualandcommunalactivities,butalsoRavenswoodhadbecomea warmer, happier, more welcomingplace thanithad ever been. The Earl ofStrattonhad married atChristmas a few months afterhisreturn,andtheweddinginthevillagechurchhadbeenajoyfuloccasionforall ForthebridehadbeenGwynethRhys, daughterofSirIforandLadyRhysofCartref,theestateadjoiningRavenswoodtotheeast.SirIforwasthechurchorganistand conductorofthevariousvillagechoirs,andbothheandhiswifeweremuchbelovedbyeveryonewhoknewthem.

LadyPhilippaWare,attheadvancedageoftwenty-two,hadfinallygonetoLondonwithhermotherthefollowingspring foracome-outSeasonandhadmetandmarriedtheheirtoadukedom.Beforetheyearwasout,Gwyneth,CountessofStratton, hadgivenbirthtoason,Gareth,ViscountMountford.LadyPhilippa,nowtheDuchessofWilby,hadbeendeliveredoftwins,a girlandaboy,earlyinthespringofthisyear

The Ware familyhad moved forward fromthe dark, gloomyyears thathad followed the lastsummer fete. Theyseemed happywith one another again and opento their neighbors and friends. Anew generation was in the nursery. And now the transitionwastobecompletewiththeresumptionoftheannualsummerfeteanditsbusyentertainmentsforall.

Notall the events wouldhappenatRavenswooditself Some wouldcenter uponthe village green The daywouldbegin there,infact,infrontofthechurchinsteadofontheterraceoutsidethehall.Themaypoledancingwouldhappenonthevillage green,amoreappropriatesettingthanthelawnbeforethehouse.Andthegreenwouldbesurroundedbythevariousboothsand stallsatwhichthevillagersandtheirchildrenwouldbeenticedintopartingwiththeirpennies Otherevents especiallythose needingmore space,like the children’s races,the archeryandlog-splittingcontests,andthe baking,needlework,andwoodcarvingcompetitions wouldtakeplaceasbeforeatRavenswood.Theeveningballwouldofcoursebeheldinthewestwing ofthehouseitself Theballroomtherewastheonlyroomformilesaroundlargeenoughtoholdallwhowouldattend Buteverythingdependedalmostentirelyupontheweather.

ThefamilyatRavenswoodwasaseagerasanyoneelsefortheresumptionoftheannualfete.Theywerealreadybusywith plans for those parts ofitthatwere to be their responsibility Butitwas still a few weeks away, and theyhad other, more imminentpleasurestooccupytheirmindsandtheirtime

OwenwasalreadyhomeafterhissecondyearatOxford,buthewasexpectingafriendandfellowstudenttojoinhimfora few weeks. Nicholas Major the Honorable Nicholas Ware, that was had been granted a few weeks’ leave from his regiment,whichwasapartoftheoccupationforcestationednearParis HewastospendthoseweeksatRavenswoodwithhis family,whosemembershadnotseenhimsincebeforetheBattleofWaterloolastyear.LucasandPhilippa,DukeandDuchess ofWilby,werecomingwiththeir youngtwinsall thewayfromGreystoneCourt,theducal residenceinWorcestershire.And Ben,whohadatfirstsentwordthathe wouldstayhome atPenallenfor the summer,hadchangedhis mindandwas coming withhisdaughterafterall.

Viscount Watley, Owen’s friend, would not be the only guest from outside the family. Lady Catherine Emmett was a longtimefriendofClarissa,DowagerCountessofStratton,thoughtheyhadseeneachotheronlyrarelysincemeetingduringa LondonSeasonwhentheywerebothyoungbrides TheyhadmetagainlastyearwhentheywereinLondon LadyCatherine’s niece, Lady Jennifer Arden, with whomshe lived, had become a close friend of Philippa, and then Philippa had married Jennifer’s brother, and suddenly they all seemed like one family very much to the delight of the two older ladies. Lady CatherineandLadyJenniferhadacceptedaninvitationtospendasmuchofthesummerastheycouldspareatRavenswood Itwasgoingtobelovelytohaveallthefamilyathometogetheragain.However,thesituationwouldnotbeperfectlyideal, forLucasandPhilippa,aswellasLadyCatherineandLadyJennifer,wereinmourningfortheoldDukeandDuchessofWilby, whohaddiedwithinanhourortwoofeachotheronthenightfollowingthechristeningofthetwinsbackintheearlyspring TheyhadbeenLadyCatherine’sparentsandLucasandJennifer’sgrandparents.Itwouldnotbeentirelyappropriate,then,for themtoparticipateinallthefestivitiesofthefete.However,asLucashadexplainedinhiscorrespondencewithDevlin,itwas importanttohiswifethattheyspendafew weeksathergirlhoodhome Shewouldenjoyshowingoffherchildrentofamily, neighbors, and friends. And bothof themneeded a breakafter the busymonths of settlinginto their new ducal roles. They wouldtakepleasurefromtheirvisitandsimplyabstainfromanyactivitythatdidnotfeelappropriate dancingattheballon thenightofthefete,forexample.

LadyCatherine,inherreplytoClarissa’sinvitation,saidmuchthesamething SheandJennyneededsomecheeringup,she had explained, and she really did not believe her mother and father would expect them to live in unrelieved gloom and isolationforawholeyear.Onecouldmournjustassincerelywithlightandlaughter,afterall,andthememoryofgoodtimes withherparents

SotheWaresofRavenswoodandthefamiliesinthevillageandthecountrysideenjoyedtheunusuallynear-perfectsummer weathertheywerehavingandhopeditwouldcontinuethroughJulyandpossiblyevenbeyond.Hopingwasalltheycoulddo, ofcourse,sincenoonecouldcontroltheweather.

Itwaseveryone’sferventwishthatthisyear’sfetewouldbethehappybeginningofanewannualtradition

CHAPTER TWO

BenElliswasonhiswaytoRavenswood.Hesatcomfortablywithhisarmsfoldedacrosshischest,watchinghisdaughter playwithherdollsonthecarriageseatacrossfromhimandponderingtheissuethathadbeenplaguinghimforseveral monthsnow.Hehadneverbeenaditherer.Whenadecisionneededtobemade,heconsideredalltheoptions,madehischoice, andacteduponit Butsuddenlyhehadbecomeaditherer,andhewasnotatallhappyaboutit Itfeltlikehavingahiveofbees buzzinginsidehishead.

Thebasicquestionanditsanswerwerenottheproblem.Hewasreadytomarryagain,andthesoonerhediditthebetterit would be Joy needed a mother Having a father who doted upon her was not enough for her Nor was having the kindly, grandmotherlynurseBenhademployedandahousefulofservantswhowatchedoutforherandindulgedherprobablyfarmore thantheyshould.

Hisdaughterneededa mother Andbrothersandsisters Soon Shewasalreadythreeyearsold Andheneededawife or perhaps wanted wasthebetterword.Hehadlikedbeingmarried,belongingexclusivelytoonewoman,havingherbelongto him.Mutualaffectionandcomfort,sharedlives,asharedbed,regularsex itwasawayoflifethathadsatisfiedhim,andhe wanteditagain NoonecouldtakeMarjorie’splace,ofcourse,butshewasgoneandhewasstillhere Andhewasstillyoung atthirty-three Hewasinvitedwithsomefrequencytothehomesofhisneighborsandoccasionallyreturnedthefavor,buthe feltawkwardattendingsocialeventsalone.Hefeltevenworseentertainingalone.Heneededapartner,andPenallenneededa mistress.

He had purchased the property fromDevlin soon after their return fromthe wars It had been sadly neglected in their father’stime.Hehadconsideredthehousetoosmallforhistastesandtooshabbyanddampforhiscomfort.Itwastoocloseto theseafor thelateearl’sliking.Hehadhatedtheperpetual smell ofsaltyair andevenfishwhenthewindblew inacertain direction He had never seenthe appeal ofgazingoutatthe endless expanse ofthe sea Ben, onthe other hand, had always lovedPenallenanddreamedofwhathewoulddotoimproveitifitwerehis.

Nowit was his,andthemostpressingofthoseimprovementshadbeenmade,nottheleastofwhichhadbeenreplacingall the heavycurtains and nettings that had covered the front-facingwindows withlighter draperies that could be drawnback duringthedaytimetofill thehousewithlightandreveal theview across his ownlawns andthepubliccliffwalkanddown overthevillagenestledontheshoreatthebaseofthecliffstothewatersoftheEnglishChannelbeyond.Thenettingshadbeen permanentlyremoved.

Theissueplaguinghismindwasnotwhether heshouldremarry Itwas whom heshouldmarry It might have been expected that in such a small rural neighborhood he would have trouble finding even one eligible woman.Butthatwasnottheissueeither.Hehadbeenpresentedinsteadwithanembarrassmentofrichesintheformofthree women Three But tryas he would, he could not narrow that number downevento two Reducingit to one was virtually impossible, and he was driving himself slowly insane. One day he would convince himself that he had made a definite decision,onlytowonderthefollowingday orthefollowinghour ifmaybeoneoftheotherswouldsuithimbetter. His ditheringstruckhimas beinghorriblyarrogant, as thoughhe considered himselfGod’s answer to a single woman’s prayer andexpectedthatanyoneofthethreewouldtripall over her feetinher eagernesstobecomeMrs.EllisofPenallen. Thatmental image ofhimselfappalled him. Itwas justas likelythatone or all three would be outraged athis effronteryin consideringthem.

Hewas,afterall tousetheplainEnglishword abastard ThebastardsonofthelateEarlofStratton,tobeexact Itwas true thathe hadbeenbroughtupatRavenswoodHall thirtymiles awaywiththe earl’s legitimate family,thathe now owned Penallen,whichwasnotexactlyamansionbutwasamanorofconsiderablesizeanddominatedtheskylineabovethevillage. Nevertheless,hewasabastard,afactthatmightwelldeteranyrespectableyoungwomantowhomheofferedmarriage Andif nother,thenherparents.

Hehadtriedmakingachoicebaseduponthatpossibility.Whichofthethreewasmostlikelytoignoretheblightuponhis nameandaccepthimanyway?Therewasnowayofknowing

Ithadbeenaneasydecisionthefirsttime.Marjoriehadbeenhiswoman hehadnevercalledherhismistress formore thantwoyearsbeforehediscoveredthatshewaswithchild;sixmonthswithchild,actually.Shehadnottoldhimandhehad beenasblindasabatandasstupidasanoxbeforehesawherinprofileonedaywhenshehadnotseenhim,herhandsbehind herhips,flexingherspinebackward.Hehadmarriedhertheverysamedayandhadneverregrettedit.

Hebroughthismindbacktothepresent.Theirdaughter,hisandMarjorie’s,wasmanipulatingthearmsofthelargerofher twodollssotheycouldhugthewoolencatandshecouldmurmurendearmentstoitinahigherversionofhervoice.Itwasan awkwardprocedure,as the black,white,andorange catwithits round,startled-lookingeyes,whichhadbeenknittedbyhis youngersisterStephanieasaChristmasgiftlastyear,waslargerthanthedoll.

Afteramomentthecatpulledsharplyandrudelyawayfromthedoll’sfondembraceandbouncedaboutthecarriageseat opposite,mewingloudly,pausingbrieflytokissthecheekofthedoll,perhapsinapology,andleapingrightovertheheadofthe other,smaller doll before settlingflatonits bellyontheseatandlickingone paw withlappingsounds thatcame fromJoy’s mouth.

“Naughtykitty,” she scolded inthe voice ofthe bigger doll “Lie still Time for your nap No stories for youtoday You beenbad.”

His daughter had beenslow to talk, usingsingle words and a pointingfinger longafter Benhad thought she should be sayingmore Heneednothaveworried Suddenlywholesentenceshadstartedtopourfromhermouth,andsoonaftertheyhad beenlargelyintelligibleeventopeopleotherthanhimself

Shecameoutofherimaginaryworldnowassheglancedacrossathim.Shestilldidthatfrequently,eventhoughtwoyears hadpassedsincehermotherdiedandherwholeworldandsecurityhadcometodependuponherfatheralone.Sheneededat all times the reassurance ofknowingwhere he was He smiled She did notlike her make-believe world to be invaded by adults, though, and could become veryself-conscious, evenirritable, ifshe was made suddenlyaware thather nurse or her papawaswithinhearingdistance.

“Arewethereyet,Papa?”sheaskedinherownpreciselittlevoice

“Notquite,”hesaid.Thirtymileswasnotaverylongjourney,buttoachildevenafive-milestretchcouldseemendless. “Wewillbetherefortea.”

Sheyawnednoisily,graspedthecatbyoneincongruouslylongear,jumpeddownfromherseat,andclimbedontohislap Shecurledagainsthimwhilehisarmscameabouther “TellmeastoryaboutMama,”shesaid.

Shewouldneverhaveanyconsciousmemoriesofhermother,ofcourse,justashehadalmostnoneof his mother,buthe tried to keep Marjorie alive for her as muchas he could He told her one ofher favorites, ofthe time whenanofficer, all decked out in pristine scarlet coat with gold lace and silver facings and buttons, had demanded his washing fromher and proceededtocurseherwhenshetoldhimitwasnotready.ButMarjoriehadinterruptedhim,herdunkingstickwavingbefore hisface,thesleevesofherdressrolledupaboveherelbowstodisplayherreddened,musculararms

You shut your mouth right there, sir, shehadsaid, or I will wash it out with this here soap When you bring your washing to me, you take your turn with everyone else, even if you are King George of England. I told you it would be ready tonight, and I meant tonight Does this look like tonight, with the sun almost directly above your head? She had pointed skyward withthestickbeforeshakingitinhisfaceagain. Go away, now Shoo I have work to do even if you do not Sir

UnfortunatelyBencouldnotimitateherbroadCockneyaccent.

“Andhewent,”hetoldJoy,“asmeeklyasanewbornlamb.Andeveryonewhowasstandingaroundlisteningapplauded andMamacurtsiedtothemlikeaprincess,wavinghersticklikeawand”

“Even if you are King George of England,” Joysaid,gigglingwithglee. “Shoo.” Theywerealwaysherfavoritewords fromthestory.Shehuggedher catwithonearmwhilepressingitsear againsther mouthwiththeother hand,turnedher face

againsthiswaistcoat,andwasasleepwithinmoments Benfeltthefamiliaracheofloveforher,hisownfleshandblood,born oftwobastards thewordhehadbeencalledmorethanonceinhislife,andMarjorietoo.

NotthatMarjoriehadknownforsurethatthatwaswhatshewas.Shehadneverknowneitherparentbuthadgrownupin the grim, bleaksettingofanorphanage ina poorer partofLondon She had married a boyfromthere whenshe was about sixteen she had never knowneither her birthdayor her exactage. Her husband had takenthe king’s shillingsoonafter and beensentofftothePeninsulaasaprivatesoldier.Marjoriehadgonewithhim,havingwontheregimentallotterytodetermine whichwivescouldaccompanytheirhusbandsandwhichmustremainbehindinEngland Andsoshehadgonethereanddone herpartbybecomingawasherwoman,andherfeethadbeensetonthepaththatwouldeventuallycrossBen’s.Itwasstrange howlifecouldbelikethat.Theoddsagainsttheirevermeetinghadbeenenormous.Hehadusuallydonehisownwashing,but onone occasion, whenthe armyhad beenmarchingfor days and ithad gota bitoutofhand, he had takenitto the nearest washerwomanandaskedifshehadtimetodoitforhim.

Hedidnotthinkofhimselfasamanofstrongpassions.HehadnotbeeninlovewithMarjorie,thoughhehadcareddeeply for her. He was not in love with any of the three women he was considering as his second wife. There were other considerationsmoreimportanttohimthanromance He was capableoflovingwithallhisheart Hisloveforhisdaughterwas total andunconditional.Heandhiswifehadnamedher Joyquitedeliberately.Shewastheirs,their ownlegitimatechild,an importantconcepttotwoorphans.ButhehadalwaysbeenBenEllis.NotBenjaminorBenedict.Nomiddlename.Nomention ofthename Ware JustBenEllis

Joywashisveryown,asshehadbeenMarjorie’s.Sheborehisname ashadhislatewife.Shehadbeenthejoyoftheir hearts.

Whenhe had beeninvited to Ravenswood to spend partofthe summer, he had excused himselfatfirst He had already givenupafew weeksoftheearlyspringtotravelnorthforthechristeningofPippa’stwinsandhadremainedlongerthanhe intended for the funeral of the old Duke and Duchess of Wilby, grandparents of Pippa’s husband. He had come home to Penallenatlast,dreamingofsettlingpermanentlythereinhisnewhomeandneighborhood,ofsupervisingtheworkonhisfarm all summerandthroughtheharvest,ofchoosingabride,ofproposingtoherandarrangingawedding,perhapssoonafterthe harvestormaybeclosertoChristmas.

Butthenhehadbeenfacedwiththedilemmaofhavingnoclearandobviouschoiceofbride,butrather three eligibleand veryequalpossibilities Heturnedhisheadtogazeoutthroughthecarriagewindowandsawthefamiliarlandmarksthattold himtheywouldbeatRavenswoodwithinhalfanhourorso.Good.Perhapsthebeeswouldtakeanapinsidehisheadoncehe arrived.Perhapsbythetimehereturnedhome,hewouldhavemadeaclearandfirmdecision.

All hewantedwasanordinarywoman,thoughhemeantnooffensebythatword Quitethecontrary,infact Hecertainly did not want anyone of high social rank, into whose world he could never quite fit just as he had never quite fit at Ravenswooddespitetheeffortsthecountessandhishalfsiblingshadalwaysmadetotreathimasasonandbrotherequalto themselves Theyallgenuinelylovedhim,heknew,justashelovedthem

Buttherehadbeenthelittlethings,ornotsolittle,perhaps Hehadbeensenttoagoodschoolattheageoftwelve,justas hishalfbrothershad,andreceivedanexcellenteducationthere.HisfatherhadbeeneagertosendhimtoCambridgewhenhe was eighteen. His half brothers, however, had been sent to a different school, where most of the pupils were sons of the aristocracyor the upper crust of the gentry Devlinhad gone to Oxford to further his educationand now Owenwas there Nicholas had had a commissionpurchased for himina cavalryregimentinwhichall the officers were sons ofelite British families.

Benwas notlookingfor outstandingbeautyinabrideeither Character was offar moreimportancethanlooks Marjorie hadbeenatall,strongwomanwithabroad,roundfaceandwavylightbrownhairshehadwornruthlesslyscrapedbackover herheadandtwistedintoatightbun.Herhandsandarmshadbeenpowerfulandpermanentlyreddenedfromallthehoursthey spentinherwashtub,scrubbingandwringingclothesfilthywithmudandblood Shehadnotbeenpretty,justpleasantlooking Shehadbeenasatisfyinglover,acomfortablecompanion,adevotedmother,andagoodwoman.

Mrs.Collinswasthechildlesswidowofafishermanwhohaddonewellenoughforhimselftoleaveherasmallcottagein the village down by the shore and enough money to support herself, though there was probably no surplus to spend upon luxuries Shewasaquiet,seeminglysensiblewoman,whonoddedtohimpleasantlyatchurcheachSundayandoftenhanded Joyasweetmeattosuckuponduringthesermon.

Miss Green,one ofthe numerous childrenofanimpoverishedgentlemanfromGloucestershire,hadbeenoffereda home and employmentas companionbyher maternal great-aunt, Miss Gibbons, who lived a mile or so westofthe village Miss

Greenwasanunassumingyoungwoman,thoughneitherdullnorunintelligent Benhadbeenincompanywithheranumberof timesatvariouschurchfunctionsandeveninggatheringsatthehomesofhisneighborsandhadbeeninconversationwithheron oneortwoofthoseoccasions.

MissAtwellwastheschoolmaster’seldestdaughterandhelpedherfatheroutafewdaysaweekbyteachingsomeofthe slowerlearnerstheirletters.Shewasaserious-mindedyoungwoman,butsheobviouslycaredaboutchildrenandhadawayof drawingtheverybestoutofthem.ShehadliftedJoyontoherlapatonechurchpicnicwhileshetoldastorytoacircleofolder childrensittingonthegrassbeforeher ShehadsmiledatBenasshecarefullyhandedoverhissleepingdaughterwhenreading timeended,withthehumorousremarkthatshemustbeaninterestingreaderindeedifshesoeasilyputchildrentosleep.

Whichofthethreewouldsuithimbest?Mrs.Collins?MissGreen?MissAtwell?Whichwouldmakethebestmotherfor Joy?Withwhichonecouldheimaginehimselflivinginsomecontentmentfortherestofhislife,eveniftheybothlivedtobe eighty?Whichonedidhemostfancysleepingwith?

Therewasnoclearanswer.

He would allow himself these few weeks away fromhome to relax with his family. Joy was excited about seeing the babies, her cousins Devlin and Gwyneth’s Gareth and Pippa and Lucas’s Emily and Christopher She was also eagerly lookingforwardtobeingmademuchofbythefamily,particularlyherjointfavorites,UncleOwenandAuntStephanie.

Hebenthisheadtokissthesoft,unrulycurlsonhisdaughter’shead.Shemadesoundsofsleepyprotestandpressedthecat toherface

“Wearethere,”hesaidafterthecarriagehadpassedthroughBoscombeandrumbledoverthebridgethatspannedtheriver betweenthe village and Ravenswood. Itwas now climbingthe slightincline ofthe drive, whichpassed betweenflowering meadowsoneithersideandthefewsheepthatgrazedthere,andupbetweenfreshlyscythedlawnsabovetheha-hatothehouse itself.

Joyyawned hugelybefore sittingabruptlyuprightonhis lap, wide awake and eager to leap downfromthe carriage the momentitdrewtoahaltandthedoorwasopenedandthestepssetdown

The front doors at the top of a tall flight of steps had opened and Devlin and Gwyneth had come outside, smiling in welcome. Stephanie was close behind them. She came hurryingdownthe steps, her arms spread wide, as Joysquealed and bouncedonBen’slapandliftedthecattowaveoneofitspawsatheraunt.

—

ThefollowingdayanothercarriagedrewclosetoRavenswood,thoughthisonewascomingfromtheeastratherthanfrom thesouth.

“ClarissaandIfeltaninstantlikingforeachother,”LadyCatherineEmmettwastellingherniece.Shethoughtamoment. “Itwasactuallymorethanjustliking,though Sometimesonemeetssomeoneandsensesimmediatelythatthatpersonwillbea close friend, almost as thoughone had knownher before thoughclearlyit is impossible. Ina previous lifetime, perhaps. It wouldbeveryconvenient,woulditnot,tohavethesortofreligionthatbelievedinsuchathing?”

“Reincarnation?”LadyJenniferArdensaid

“Thatis the word,” her auntsaid, raisingone ringed finger. “IfeltjustthatwithClarissa the firsttime we metduringa London Season when we were both young brides. And I knew she felt the same way. Have I ever told you that by some incredible coincidence our weddings were solemnized at the same hour on the same day in the same year but in different places?WedidnotseeagreatdealofeachotherafterthatSeasonuntillastspring,butwealwayscorrespondedregularlyand stilldo.”

Yes,Jenniferhadhearditallanumberoftimesbefore.Butitwasinevitablewhenonelivedwithsomeonethatoneheard and told some favorite stories more thanonce or eventwice She had enjoyed watchingthe friendship ofthe two older ladiesblossomlastyear whentheyhadmetagaininLondon.Clarissa,Dowager Countess ofStratton,hadbeentherefor the come-outSeasonofherelderdaughter,LadyPhilippaWare.

“Itwas exactlyhow IfeltwhenImetPippa,”Jennifer said “Her daughter andyour niece Perhaps thereis somethingin thatreincarnationtheory,AuntKitty.Maybewereincarnateingroupsandsomehowrecognizeoneanotherwhenwemeetagain inthenewlife.”

Theybothchuckled atthe absurdityofthatnotionand for a few moments were contentto watchthe Englishcountryside throughthecarriagewindows.

“Hewasnotnearlygoodenoughforher,”LadyCatherinesaidafterawhile “Theearl,Clarissa’shusband,Imean Hewas extremelygoodlookingandcharmingandsociable.Hewasthecenterofattentionwhereverhewentandwaswidelylikedand admired. Clarissa was beautiful and charmingherself, butshe always seemed to move inhis shadow. Other womenopenly enviedher”

“Exceptyou,”Jennifersaid,smiling.

“Well,” her auntsaid.“Itseemedtome thatitoughttohave beenthe other wayaround.Other menoughttohave envied him,andperhapsafewdid Buthesomehowchosetoeclipseher,andIdidnotthinkthatwelldoneofhim YouruncleandI were friendlywiththembefore Clarissa stopped goingto Londoneveryyear for the Season, but I never succumbed to his charm.Itwascleartomefromthestartthathelikedwomenrathertoomuch,thathehadarovingeye.Ialwayssuspectedhe wasawomanizer Idobegyourpardon,Jenny,forsuchplainspeaking”

Herniecelaughed.“Ihavebeentwenty-fiveyearsoldforthreeweeks,AuntKitty,”shesaid.“ItisunlikelythatatmyageI willsuccumbtoafitofthevaporswhenIhearsuchaword.”

Herauntpattedherhand.“IrecalltheletterIhadfromClarissasoonafterthebirthofDevlin,”shesaid.“Sheoughttohave beenover themoonwithhappinessinthoseearlydaysofnew motherhood,andonthesurfaceshe was ButIknew her well enoughbythentobeabletoreadbetweenthelines.Theearl,herhusband,hadjustbroughtathree-year-oldchildhomewith himfromLondonandexplainedthattheboywashisson,conceivedbeforehefellinlovewithClarissaandmarriedher.He toldhiswifethatthechildwastheunfortunateresultofayouthfulindiscretionduringthebriefspellwhenhewassowingsome wild oats, as mostmendo before settlingdown. Ithad happened the one time only, he assured her, and never since or ever again.Butthemother hadrecentlydiedandhehadnothadthehearttosendtheboytoanorphanage.Hehadbroughthimto Ravenswoodinstead,sureashewasthathisgenerous,warmhearted,andbelovedwife Iamperhapsaddingsomeofmyown words here, Jenny would forgive himand openher arms and her heartto the motherless child. Which, ofcourse, Clarissa did.Herterriblepainpulsedthrougheverywordofthatletter,however.Isuspectedthenthathewouldneverbefaithfultoher ortotallyhonestwithher,andthatshewouldneverconfronthimonit”

“ThatchildwasBenEllis?”Jennifersaid Itwasnotreallyaquestion Shehadheardthestorybefore,andshehadmethim ontwoseparateoccasions,onceinLondonlastyearatPippa’sweddingtoLuc,herbrother,thenthisspringatGreystonefor thechristeningofLucandPippa’stwinsandGrandmamaandGrandpapa’sfuneral,whichhadfollowedcloseonitsheels.He mustbeinhisearlythirtiesbynow,theillegitimatesonofthelateearl,whomheraunthadheartilydisliked Jenniferdidnot haveanyclearpictureinhermindofMr.Ellis,thoughsheknewshehadspokenwithhimafewtimes.Itseemedtoherthathe wasaveryordinarymanandnotthesortpeopledidnoticeorremember.Unlikehisfather,apparently.Yethehadhadthegood fortune to be raised ina noble household witha stepmother and stepbrothers and sisters who accepted himas partoftheir family. Theyhad, after all, broughthimwiththemto thatweddingatArdenHouse, and Pippa musthave invited himto the christeningthisyear.Jenniferhopedhewasgrateful.

Shedidrememberthathehadayoungdaughter,whohadbeenbornsomewhereinPortugalorSpainduringthewars The motherhaddiedbeforetheyreturnedtoEngland ActuallyJenniferhadmorememoriesofthechildthanofMr Ellishimself She was a little wispofa thingwithlarge blue eyes anda mopofunrulyfair curls.She hadpattedJennifer’s knee after the wedding,pointedatJennifer’swheeledchair,whichsheusedbecauseshecouldnotwalk,andaskedifshecouldcomeupfor aride Someone oneoftheWares?Mr Ellishimself?No,ithadbeenSusan,Jennifer’syoungniece Shehadcometoinvite thelittlegirl toplayinonecorner ofthelargedrawingroomwiththeother children.Andawaythechildhadgone,tripping alongbesideSusan,herrideforgotten.

Butnotforever Atthechristeningthisspring,shehadpattedJennifer’slegandsmoothedahandoverherkneewhileasking againforarideonthechair.Herlanguageskillshaddevelopedinthemonthssincethewedding.Shehadevensaid please.It wasStephanieWarethattime,Pippa’syoungersister,whohadwhiskedthelittleoneawaywithanapologeticgrinforJennifer. Sothechild shewas Joy Ellis,Jenniferrecalled stillhadnothadherrideonthewheeledchair Jenniferwonderedifshe wouldbeatRavenswoodthissummerwithherfather.

“HemustbeaconstantremindertoClarissaofherhusband’sinfidelities,”herauntwassaying,stilltalkingofBenEllis. “AndIdonotdoubttheywereplural,Jenny.Buttheaudacityoftheman!Herfirstborn,theirsonandheir,hadjustbeenborn. She was givennoadvance warningofthe arrival ofhis other son,or evenofthe boy’s existence Canyouimagine how she musthavefelt?Actuallyitdefiesimagination,doesitnot?Itisperhaps No.Thereisno perhaps aboutit.Itis undoubtedly wickedofme,butIwasnevermoredelightedthanIwaswhenIheardoftheearl’ssuddendeath.DearClarissa,Ithought.Free atlast ButBenEllismustbeapermanentmillstoneabouttheneckofthefamilyevennowthathisfatherisgone Thoughthatis

probablyunfairofme Why should thesonsufferforthesinsofthefather,afterall?Heseemstobeapleasantenoughyoung man.”

Jenniferhopedthejourneywouldnotlastmuchlonger.Herrightleg thetwistedone wasachingterribly,buttherewas notenoughspacebetweentheseatsforhertobeabletomoveorstretchit Herbackwasachingabittoofrombeingtippedto onesidewhenevershetriedtosetherachingrightfootflatonthefloor,anearimpossibilityevenatthebestoftimes.Herright legwasshorterthantheother,andthinnerandweaker.Butshewouldnotbreatheawordofherdiscomfort.Sheneverdid.It wasbadenoughthatshehadtosuffer Shedidnotneedtomakeanyoneelsesufferwithher

Theywere ontheir wayfromAmberwell inLincolnshire to Ravenswood Hall inHampshire. Invitations had come from bothGwynethWare,CountessofStratton,andClarissa,thedowagercountess.Clarissahadbeeneagersincelastyeartohave AuntKittycometostay,butofcoursetheinvitationthisyear hadincludedJennifer too Shewas,after all,Pippa’ssister-inlaw as well as Aunt Kitty’s niece. Her aunt lived with her. Jennifer was effectively crippled as the result of a lengthy childhoodillnessthathadalmostkilledherbeforeleavingherpermanentlymaimed.

She was lookingforward immenselyto the visit, especiallyto seeingthe babies, her niece and nephew, who would no longerbethenewbornssherememberedfromafewmonthsago SheandheraunthadbeenabitdullatAmberwelllately,the factthattheywereinmourninghavingforcedthemtocurtailtheirsocialactivitiesintheneighborhood.Ithadalsoprevented themfromgoingbacktoLondonduringtheSeason.Bothofthemgenuinelymourned,AuntKittyinparticular,forGrandmama and Grandpapa had beenher mother and father and she had loved themdearly It had been hard to ward off the spells of depressionthathadsometimesdescendeduponthem,though,nomatterhowhardtheyweredeterminedtoremaincheerful.

Jennifer,withmemoriesoflastyearwhensheandheraunthadspentacoupleofmonthsinLondon,foundithardthisyear notto make the comparisons and notto feel sometimes thatshe was still nursinga bruised heart For a briefspell lastyear happiness hadblossomedandhope alongwithit.Neither hadlasted.Ever skeptical andever cautious whatman,after all, couldreallywantorloveathin,plain-faced,crippledwomanpastthefirstblushofyouth Jenniferhadresistedfallinginlove withtheHonorableMr ArnoldJamieson,whohadbeenyoungandhandsomeandattentiveandwellborn Andimpoverished The onlythingsurelythatcouldmake Jennifer attractive tosucha manwas her considerable fortune She hadknownreality fromthemomentoftheirfirstmeetingataball,whereshehadsetherselfupasaspectator.

Shehadenjoyedhiscompanyandhisattentionsforawhileanyway.And,tohiscredit,hehadneverdeniedthatherfortune wasthemainfactorthathadencouragedhimtoseekheracquaintance Whenithadcometothepoint,however,shehadrefused his marriage proposal.Ever since thenher moodhadalternatedbetweenpride inherselffor notgraspingwhatatbestmight havebeenatolerablemarriageandsorrowthatshehadnottakenachanceontheslimpossibilitythatitmighthavebroughther somehappiness

She was notsufferingfromheartbreak, she told herselfinher more sensible moments. Thatwas reallya silly, theatrical notion. It was just that her heart sometimes ached, and the dull routine of their days at Amberwell while she and her aunt observedtheiryearofmourningcoulddolittletodistracther Shewasdeterminedtoshakeoffhergloomduringthenextfew weeks,however,andthenreturnhomewitharenewedcheerfulnessofdisposition Shehadspentyearscultivatingit Mostof herlife,infact.Itoughtnottobeimpossibletoretrieveit. Smile and the world will smile back, herfatherhadtoldheronce whenshewasstillaveryyoungchildandmakingaslowrecoveryfromhermysteriousandpainful andfrightening illness. Ithadbecomesomethingofamantrawithher Attheveryleast,ifonesmiledtheworldwouldnotbedraggeddownintoone’s owndarkness.

“Thelasttimewechangedhorses,”herauntsaid,leaningclosertothewindowonhersidetopeerahead,“weweretold wehadoneandahalf,maybetwohourstogo Wemustsurelybeclose Yourlegmustbeaching,Jenny Ineverknowhowyou areabletoimposesuchquietpatienceuponyourself.Younevercomplain.”

“Wouldhavingatantrumhelp?”Jenniferaskedwithasmile.

“Probablynot,”herauntsaid,flashingasmileofherown “Iwouldpretendtobeasleep OrIwouldburstintotearsand makeyoufeelevenworse.”Sheturnedherattentiontothewindow again.“Oh,look.Wearecominguponavillage.Doyou thinkitmaybeBoscombe?Surelyitmustbe.Crossyourfingersandeyes,Jenny.Iwillcrossmytoes.”

It was indeed Boscombe. The carriage skirted the village green before crossing a stone bridge over a river and then passing between wrought iron gates that stood open and proceeding up a slight slope toward a stone mansion with a vast central blockflanked bytwo equallyimposingwings. There were sheep grazinginmeadows colorful withwildflowers to eithersideofthecarriageroadandcultivatedlawnsatthetopoftherise.

“Iamso lookingforwardtothesefewweeks,”LadyCatherinesaid “IhavebeenpromisingbothmyselfandClarissafor years thatIwouldcome for a visit,butIhave never actuallydone ituntil now.More thananythingelse atpresent,though,I craveacupoftea.”

Morethananythingelse,Jenniferwantedtostretchherlegandfoot

Theirapproachhadbeenobserved.Thefrontdoorsopenedevenasthecarriagedrewtoahaltatthefootofatallflightof steps. The earl and countess Devlinand Gwyneth stepped outfirst, butClarissa, the dowager countess, was rightbehind them,andLucandPippasteppedaroundallthreeandcamehurryingdownthesteps,theirfacesalightwithwelcome LucswungAuntKittydowntotheterrace,ignoringthecarriagestepsdespitehershriekofprotest,andhuggedhertightly whilePippaleanedintothecarriageandreachedforJennifer’shands.

“Iknow,Iknow,”shesaid “Itisnotmeyouwantedtosee OrevenLucas Butwewillhavetodofornow Thetwinsare stillfastasleepinthenursery,thewretches.Wehavebeenquiteunablesofartoteachthemthatitisreallynotthebestofgood mannerstosleepthroughthearrivalofspecialguests.Oh,itis so goodtoseeyou,Jenny.”

Sheleanedfartherintothecarriageandhuggedhersister-in-law,andforthemomentJenniferforgotthepaininherlegand foot

CHAPTER THREE

Benwassmilingandshakinghisheadasheleftthenurserytwodayslaterandclosedthedoorbehindhim.Hewasquite happyatleastforthemomenttoescapethenoiseandbustlewithin.HehadspentanhourwithJoy,a quiet hoursincethe threebabiesaswellasIdrisandElunedRhys’shadbeenhavingtheirafternoonnapsinadjoiningrooms.Benandhisdaughter had spentthe time slappingpaintonto a large piece ofpaper mounted ona low easel, the onlyrule seemingto be thateach colortheyappliedhadtobebrighterthantheonebefore.

Thenthebabieshadwokenalmostsimultaneously,andadultshadarrivedonthesceneasifbymagic.Presumablyoneof the nurses had sent a servant down to inform them that the children were awake Ben had been abandoned in favor of prospective new playmates. He had also been left withthe task of cleaningup the paintingarea. Now all the adults were talkingatonce,orsoitseemed,andthechildrenwereallnoisilyatplay.

DevlinandGwyneth’sGarethwasstandingprecariouslyproppedagainstalow table,bangingawoodenspoononitand laughing while Stephanie knelt behind him, hands spread to catch himshould he lose his balance, as he almost inevitably would.Pippawasontheothersideofthetable,talkingtoStephwhileshejiggledarathercrossEmilyononehip.Emilywas the twin who never seemed to want to go to sleep but, having done so, was never too happy about waking up again Christopher, the other twin, was sitting on the floor vigorously shaking a wooden rattle and laughing gleefully every time Gwyneth tried to dissuade himfromsucking on it. Joy was bouncing up and down for all the world as though there were springsattachedtothesolesofhershoesasshedemandedthatOwengetdownonallfourstogiveherarideonhisback.

Bendidnotbelievehewouldbemissed,for awhileatleast Hecouldhavegonedowntothedrawingroomtojointhe other adults, who were probablystill there, enjoyingsome quietrelaxationafter seeingofftheir visitors Sir Ifor and Lady Rhys and Idris and Eluned and their baby. Buthe decided instead to step outinto the courtyard around whichthe four vast wingsofthehousehadbeenbuilt Hewouldindulgeinabitofwelcomesolitudeintherosearborthereforawhile Orrather, hethoughtwithasigh,hewouldprobablysitthereandpondertheletterthathadbeenawaitinghimatRavenswoodwhenhe arrived three days ago. He had come here withthe idea ofclearingouthis head over the problemoftoo manyprospective brides,butnowtherewasthisnewproblemtosetthebeesbuzzingworsethanever

It was nothing, he had told his curious familyafter he had brokenthe seal and read the letter while theystood around watchinghim.Itwasjustabriefnotefromanoldschoolfellowwhohadnotrealizedhenolongerlivedhere.

Butinrealityitwas something.Somethingthathadshakenhisworldtoitsfoundationsforthosefirstfewdizzyingmoments whilehehadassuredhimselfthatitwasjustasillyandrathercruelprankandnodoubthewouldtossitontothefireafterhe had looked atitmore closely. Butitwas still inhis pockettwo days later, and he had looked atitand read and reread ita numberoftimes.Hestillhadnotburneditorotherwisedealtwithit.Hehadnotansweredit.

TherewerenotmanyopportunitiestospendtimealoneatRavenswood Notnowthathewasaguesthere,anyway,witha childtolookafterandamuse.Hewasalwayssurroundedbyfamilyandguests.Notthathewascomplaining.Itwasall very pleasant, and he was glad he had come. Butoccasionallyhe craved some time alone. He had grownaccustomed to his own companyatPenallen Andheneededtothinkclearlyaboutthisinfernalletter

He stepped out througha door that led directlyfromthe east wing, inwhichthe nurseryrooms were situated, into the courtyardandstoodforamomentundertheshadeprovidedbythepeakedroofoverthepillaredcloister,whichranaboutthe innerperimeterofthecourtyard.Hedrewinadeepbreathoffreshairperfumedwiththescentofrosesandfeastedhiseyeson

thebright,sunlitlawnbeyondtheshadeanduponthesparklingwaterdropletsthatformedarainbowabovethefountaininthe rosearbor.

Hewasabouttostepoutintothesunshinewhenhiseyesfocuseduponthestillfigureofamanstandingundertheroofof thecloisterdirectlyacrossfromhim,outsidethewestwing Hewasthatburlyfootmanorservantorassistantorwhateverhe was called who was assigned exclusively to the care of Lady Jennifer Arden, Lucas’s sister. The man carried her heavy wheeledchairupanddownstairs,inandoutofdoors,onandoffcarriages,andthencarriedhertositinit.Shehadsuffered somedebilitatingillnesswhenshewasayoungchild,andithadlefthercrippled Sureenough,herchairstoodemptybeside theman,whichpresumablymeantthathewasabouttoreturntothehouseforher.Perhapsshetoointendedsittinginthearbor forawhile.Benwouldhaveduckedbackinsidebeforeshearrived,buthecouldseethatitwasalreadytoolate.Themanhad caughtsightofhimandhadturnedhisheadrathersharplytoglancetohisleft

Benlookedinthatdirectiontooandsawwhatthemanwaslookingat.LadyJenniferArdenwaswalkingintheshadeover therewiththeaidofheavy-lookingcrutches.Shemovedwithanawkward,bobbinggait.Shewould not bepleasedtobeseen byanearstranger,Benthoughtwithagrimace.Hefeltdeeplyembarrassedhimself.Butitwasimpossiblenow toduckback indoorsandpretendhehadnotseenher,forherman’ssharpglanceseemedtohavewarnedherthattheywerenolongeralone ShestoppedwalkingandlookedacrossthecourtyarddirectlyatBen.

Damnandblast,hethoughtashesteppedoutintothesunlightandstrodewithaboldnesshedidnotfeel acrossthegrass toward her, skirtingthe rose arbor as he went Whymustone’s behavior always be dictated bygood manners, though? She wouldprobablyhavebeenasrelievedasheifhehadscurriedaway.

“We had the same idea, I see,” he said when he was close enough not to have to raise his voice. “Fresh air and the seclusionofthecloistersafterabusyafternoonofvisiting”

“Butitwasaverypleasantafternoon,”shesaid.“Gwyneth’sfamilyarelovelypeople.Ilovetheir Welshaccents.Ilook forwardtohearingSirIforplaytheorganatchurch.”

“He can bring tears to your eyes,” he said “Happy tears” She had not moved since she spotted him It must be uncomfortableforherstandingthereinoneplace,tooembarrassedtocontinueherungainlywalkbutnotcloseenoughtoher chairsimplytositdown.“Ididnotrealizeyoucanwalk,”hesaidawkwardly.

“Ifyoucallitwalking,”shesaid.“ButIliketotakesomeexercisewheneverIcan againsttheadviceofbothmyauntand myphysician”

Heraunt,LadyCatherineEmmett,herfather’ssister,livedwithher.Theyseemedveryfondofeachother.

“Iwillleaveyoutocontinueyourwalk,then,”hesaid.“Ibegyourpardonforhavingdisturbedyou.Ididnotrealizeyou wereouthere”

“NooneelseknowsIamhereeither,”shetoldhim.“Butpleasedonotleaveonmyaccount.Youcameoutforsomeairand some time toyourself,andIhave finishedmywalkfor today.Iwill gotomyroomandrestfor a while,somethingLuc and AuntKittybelieveIamdoingnow”Shenoddedtowardhersilentfootman,whowheeledherchairtowardher

“Perhaps we could bothsitinthe rose arbor for a while,” Bensaid “This fine weather could breakatanymomentand shouldbeenjoyedwhilewehaveit.”Hecouldhavebittenouthistongueassoonashehadmadethesuggestion purelyoutof goodmanners.Whatifsheaccepted?Whatthedevilwouldtheytalkabout?

Shelookedoutintothecourtyardaftershehadsatdowninherwheeledchairandhandedhercrutchestoherservant “This courtyardexudesbeautyandpeace,”shesaid.“Yes,Mr.Ellis,doletussitforawhile.Willyouwheelmychairthere,ifyou please?Bruce,Iwillnotneedyouforawhile.”

Themaninclinedhisheadanddisappeared

Andtherewenthis halfhour or soofsolitude,Benthoughtruefullyas hewheeledthechair closetothefountainandthe trellises loaded withroses around itand satona wroughtironseat. And there too wenthis chance to ponder his letter and decideonceandforallwhathewasgoingtodoaboutit Damnation!OfallthepeoplecurrentlyatRavenswood,LadyJennifer Ardenwastheonewithwhomheleastwishedtofindhimselfalone.

He was not sure why. She had done nothingto provoke his discomfort. He had grownup inanaristocratic house as a memberofthefamily,afterall.Hewasaccustomedtominglingwithpeoplefromtheirworld,thoughhedidnotreallyidentify withit ThefactthatLadyJenniferArdenwasthesisterandgranddaughterofadukeandawomanofprivilegeandprobable wealth ought not to bother him. He was not intimidated by her looks. She was not a ravishingly beautiful woman or even particularlypretty.Shehadanarrow face,distinguishedbyprominentcheekbones,astraightnose,andafirmjaw aproud,

aristocraticface,itsclassicallinessomehowaccentuatedbythefactthatshealwaysworeherdarkredhairsmoothandshining overthecrownofherhead,thoughitwasdressedinsoftercurlsattheback.

She was rather thin. And crippled, of course. It occurred to Ben that perhaps it was that last fact that made him uncomfortable Healwaysfeltself-consciouswheneverhewasinherpresence,wonderingwhathewouldsaytoherifhehad tosayanythingatall,andhowhewouldbehave.Hewasafraidhemightbeoverhearty.Oroversolicitous.Nooneelsetreated heranydifferentlythantheywouldifshewereperfectlyable-bodied.Hehadkepthisdistancefromherinthepastcoupleof dayswithoutfullyrealizinghewasdoingit Hehaddonethesamethingonpreviousoccasionswhentheyhadbeenincompany witheachother.Hehadspokenwithher,butneveratanylength.

Now politeness had trapped himinto beingalone withher and forced to make some sort of conversation. He felt selfconscious,notleastbecause she wasgoingtobealonewith him,andshemustsurelybeuncomfortablyawareofthefactthat hewasnotreallyofherworld,thathewasnotalegitimatememberoftheWarefamily.Hedidnotevenbeartheirname.

“Ibegyourpardonifyouhavefoundmydaughter’sbehavioroffensive,”hesaid.“Ihavetriedtoexplaintoherthatyour chairisnotanoveltyvehicleinventedtogiveridestoachild.But...Well,sheisthreeyearsoldand ”

She surprisedhimbylaughingandholdingupa stayinghand “Mr Ellis,” she said “Ihave twonephews anda niece in additiontoLuc’sbabies mysister’schildren.Eachoftheminturnhadtohaveridesonmychariotwhentheywereinfants. SometimesIhadmorethanoneofthematatimeonmylap.Once,Icanremember,allthreeofthemclimbedaboarduntilmy brother-in-lawtookpityonme ButIwasneveroffended Quitethecontrary,infact ItfeelsgoodtobeafavoredauntwhenI cannotactuallyrompwiththechildren.Ihavebeencharmedbyyourdaughter’srequestsforaride.Sheisaslightasafeather onmylap,youknow,andsitsverystill.Shehastheprettiestcurls.Pleasedonotforbidhertoaskagain.”

“Itiskindofyoutocallherdemands requests,”hesaid “Sheinheritedthecurlsfromhermother,whoalwayshidherown inaruthlesslytightbun.”

“Thatmusthavebeenashame,”shesaid.

“Itmadepracticalgoodsense,”hetoldher “Sheneededtokeepitoutofherface Theweatherwasoftenveryhotinthe Peninsula,andshewasawasherwoman”

Therewasabrief,startledsilence.OrsoitseemedtoBen.Shewastoowell-bredtoshowitopenly.

“Shewenttowar withher firsthusband,” he toldher.“He was a private soldier withthe footregimentinwhichDevlin was anofficer The wives ofthe enlisted menhad to compete ina lotteryto be permitted to go, butthose who wona place wereexpectedtomakethemselvesuseful.Therewasalwaysagreatneedforwasherwomen.”

“Youwerehersecondhusband,then?”shesaid.

“Third,”hesaid “Theothertwodiedinbattle Itwasacommonthingduringthewars Mostofthewomenstayedwiththe armyonce theywere there,andmanymarriedmultiple times.Marjorie diedwhenthe regimentwas fightingandsloggingits wayoverthePyreneesintoFrancewiththerestofthearmy.Theconditionsinthemountainswereappallingandtheweather wasbrutal Winterwascomingon Shewastoughbutnottoughenoughaftershetookachill”

Whythedevilwashetellingherallthis?Theywerenotthesortsofthingsonetoldalady Hehadnottalkedmuchofhis years inthe Peninsula evenwithhis ownfamily, and he was sure Devlinhad not either. Or Nicholas. Was there a sort of defiance inhis telling,as thoughhe were thumbinghis nose atanypreconceivedideas she mighthave ofhim? As thoughhe weretellingherhewasnotashamedofwhohewasorwhomhehadmarried?Ithadneveroccurredtohimtobeashamed It hadneveroccurredtohimeitherthathemightbecarryingagrudgeagainsttheworldorsomepartofit.Itwasnotapleasant thoughtthatperhapshewas.Heoughttobemakinglightconversationabouttherosesandthesunshine.How hadthisstarted anyway?WithhercommentonJoy’scurlyhair?

“Iamsorryaboutthat,”shesaid.“DidsheleaveafamilybehindinEngland?”

“None,”hesaid andhisthoughtstouchedbynaturalassociationupontheletterinhispocket.“Sheneverknew eitherof herparentsoranythingaboutthem ShegrewupinanorphanageinLondon Shemarriedafelloworphanwhenshewasabout sixteen.”

“Ibelieve,Mr.Ellis,”shesaid,“shemusthavebeenveryfortunatetomeetyouafterbeingwidowedforthesecondtime. Youdidnotputherchildinanorphanage.”

Hegazedatherinsomeshock “Sheismychildtoo,”hesaid “Sheisours Shewasthejoyofourlives” “Joy,”shesaid,andsmiled.“Howlovely.Youchosethenamequitedeliberately.”

Andthatwasitfor that topic.Unsurprisingly,hewasnotfeelinganymorecomfortablewithherdespitethebeautyoftheir surroundingsandthenormallysoothingsoundofthewatergushingfromthefountainandtheheadysummerscentoftheroses

Perhapstheonlythingtodowasconfronthisdiscomforthead-on “Doyouwalkeveryday?”heaskedher.

“Itry,”shesaid.“Imadetheresolutionsoonafter thepassingofmygrandparents earlier this year thatIwouldmakethe effort,thatIwouldboostmyenergyandspiritsbydoingsomethingeachdaytomakemyselfstrongerandmorehealthy More active.More...cheerful.”

Shewasalwayscheerful.Itwassomethinghehadnoticedaboutherwhenhemetherlastyear thoughtherehadbeenthe exceptionofthedaysfollowingthedeathofhergrandparentsthisyear,ofcourse Hehadnoticedhercheerfulnessagainafter her arrival here withher aunt. She almostalways spoke withsmilinganimation. Her eyes frequentlysparkled. She gave the impressionofperpetualhappiness.Butithadoccurredtohimmorethanoncethatsurelynoonecouldbe that cheerfulallthe time Sheleastofall Thedreadfulandcripplingillnessshehadsufferedearlyinherlifecontinuedtoaffecther Shewasmore orlessconfinedtoachair.Shewasunmarried,probablyasaresultofthatfact.Heestimatedthatshemustbeinherearlyto mid-twenties.Hebelievedshespentmostofherlifeatacountryhomewithonlyherauntforcompany.Shemighthavelegions offriends inthe neighborhood, ofcourse.LadyCatherine Emmettwas certainlya sociable womanandwas always cheerful herself Yet

Well, he had found himselfwonderingifLadyJennifer Arden’s habitual brightness ofmanner was somethingofa mask behindwhichthe real personhid.Itwas none ofhis business,ofcourse.Besides,didnotall people wear masks tovarying degrees?Werethereanypeoplewhoopenedthemselves upfullytothescrutinyofthewholewideworldwithoutkeepingat leastbitsofthemselveshiddensafelyawayinside?

“Haslifebeendepressingforyouinthelastfew months,then?”heasked.LucasandPippahadlivedatAmberwell with herforafewmonthsaftertheirmarriageandhadintendedgoingbackthereafterthechristeningoftheirtwins Butthedeathof thedukehadmadeitnecessarythattheyremainatGreystonetoassumetheirnewdutiesasDukeandDuchessofWilby.

“Alittleconfiningandmonotonous,”sheadmittedafterthinkingaboutitforamoment.“Amourningperiodoughtnottobe like that Not, atleast, for elderlypeople who lived long, full lives Itoughtto be full ofhappyreminiscences and laughter instead ManypeoplewouldlookuponmewithhorrifieddisapprovalifIsaidthataloudtothem,ofcourse Itwouldsuggest thatIdidnotcare.Idid.Myauntfeelsthesameway,eventhoughmygrandparentswereher parents. ”

Silence notofthecomfortablesort threatenedtodescenduponthemagain.

“Willyoueverbeabletowalkwithoutyourcrutches?”heasked

“Alas,no,”shesaid.“FormanymonthswhenIwasachildIwasconfinedtomybed.Mylegswereparalyzed.Sowasthe restofmeforashorterwhile.Irecoveredmygeneralhealthovertimeandtheparalysiswent,butitleftmyrightlegbentoutof shapeandmyfootandankletwisted Thelegdidnotgrow tomatchtheother”Shesmiled “IsupposeIamblessedtobea woman.Alongskirthidesamultitudeofsins.Iwasgiventhecrutchestohelpmemoveveryshortdistanceswiththebadleg raisedoutoftheway.ItisaconvenienceforwhichIamthankful.Butitdoesnotenablemeto walk. Myrightlegsoonaches toomuchwhenIhavetoholditofftheground ButmyphysicianisstronglyofthebeliefthatIwilldofurtherdamagebytrying towalkonbothlegs Hehaswarnedmenoteventotry Idoitanyway Sometimesthelongingtostandupright,onbothfeet,to seetheworldasothersseeit,isquiteirresistible.AndsometimesIjustneedtodefythewisdomofthosewholoveme.Love canoccasionallybeabitsmothering.”

Her cheeks were flushed, Bensaw Undoubtedlyshe was as unaccustomed to talkingabout her disabilityas he was to speaking about his years in the Peninsula. But yes, he decided, her habitual cheerfulness was definitely something that concealedadeeperanguish.Itwasactuallyadmirablethatshemadetheefforttowalk,hopelessthoughitseemedandagainst the explicit orders of her physician He guessed she did not wish to impose her disappointments and frustrations upon the familythatlovedher.Sosheborethemaloneandexercisedherlittlerebellionsinprivate.Yetshehadconfidedsomeofthem tohim.Justashehadconfidedsomeofhimselftoher.Itwaseasiersometimestotalktonearstrangers,ofcourse,andheand LadyJenniferArdenwereessentiallyjustthat

Heshouldhaveleftitthere.Heshouldperhapshavesuggestedthattheygobackinside,especiallyasthesunwasshining down directly upon them and she was not wearing a bonnet. But he continued speaking. “There must be other ways to experiencemovementandtofeelaliveandfree,”hesaid.

“Mustthere?”Shesmiledagain “Haveyoueverriddenahorse?”heasked.

“No!”Shelaughed.“Ofcoursenot.”

“Drivenagigoranyotherone-horsevehicle?”heasked

“No”Shelaughedagain

“Learnedtoswim?”heasked.

“Goodheavens,no.”

“Wornanysortofbraceonyourlegoranyspeciallydesignedshoeorbootonyourfoottobringthelengthofyouraffected legmoreinlinewiththeother?”heasked.

“Enough!”Shewasstilllaughing.“Iamcoddled,Mr.Ellis.Loved.Heldverydear.Protected.Encouragedtorest,toavoid anygreatexertion OnlywhenIgotoLondonforpartsofaspringSeasondoIgettogoplacesanddothings,thoughmyauntis forever fearful thatIwill overexertmyselfand suffer a relapse. Lastyear Iactuallyattended a ball and a gardenpartyand visitedanumberofgalleries.IwasevenatAlmack’sthenightmygrandfathersufferedhisheartseizure thedaybeforeLuc marriedPippa But no Theanswertoallyourquestionsisno HereIsit,andhereIwillprobablysitfortherestofmylife, thoughnotasapermanentfixtureintheRavenswoodrosearbor,Ihastentoadd.Itisnotsoverybad,youknow.Oneadjuststo therealitiesofone’slife.”

Hedidnotbelieveher.Notentirely,anyway.Therewasacertainwistfulnessinhereffortstowalk.

“Perhapsinthenextfewweekswhilewearebothstillhere,”hesaid,“Icanlookintowaysofbringingsomethingnewand challengingintoyourlifetohelpliftyourspirits.”

What the devil was he suggesting? Frombeinguncomfortable withher crippled state, he was now to wage a one-man crusadetosaveher?Hewasembarrassinghimself Itwouldservehimrightifshegavehimasharpsetdown

Hereyessparkledathiminstead andfineeyestheyweretoo.Theywerelightbrown,chocolatewithcreamstirredinto it.“So,bythetimeIreturntoAmberwell,Iwillbeabletoridemyownhorseanddrivemyowncarriageandswimlikeafish andwalkelegantlywithoutmycrutches?”shesaid “PerhapsevenwaltzattheballontheeveningoftheRavenswoodfete?But no,alas.Thatatleastwillnotbepossible.Iaminmourning.”

Itwasnotasharpsetdown,butshewaslaughingathimnevertheless.

“Ibegyourpardon,”hesaid,straighteningupontheseat “Ididnotmeantomockyou”

“Idid nottake your suggestions as mockery,” she told him “Youare a dreamer, Mr Ellis So amI, thoughIbelieve my dreams aremoreoftheairyvarietywhileyours aremorepractical evenifthey are impossible tobringtoreality.Iwould findlifeinsupportable,Ibelieve,withoutdreams.”

She raised her hands palm-up to the sky, and he noted the thin wrists and the long, elegant fingers with their perfectly manicurednails.Sheraisedherfacetooforamoment,hereyesclosed.Sheinhaledslowly.

“Thankyoufor suggestingthatwe sithere for a while, Mr. Ellis,” she said. “Iwas notreallyreadyto go backindoors whenyoucameoutside IwasdisappointedwhenIthoughtImust Thislittleinterval hasbeenheavenly However,Iwill go insidenowifyouwouldbesogoodastopushmychairorsendBrucetomyassistance.”

Hewasbeingdismissed.Butwithtactandkindness.Shehadalady’swayofsmoothingoutawkwardmomentsandrough edges He stood and moved behind her chair He must be very careful to stay as far away from her as possible for the remainderofthetimetheywerebothhere Shemustconsiderhimanidiotattheveryleast

“Ihaveneverbeenallowedtodriveanyconveyance,”shesaid.“IdaresayLucandAuntKittywouldhaveafitapieceifI somuchassuggestedit.Wouldyou,Mr.Ellis?”

“Haveafit?”hesaid “IdonotexpectIwould Iwouldnotknowhow” “Shallwetryitoneday?”sheasked.“Doyouhaveasuitableconveyancehere?”

“Yes,”hesaid.“Areyousure,though?”

Shelaughed “Youarenotgoingtoturncravenandbackoutnow,areyou?”sheaskedhim “No,”hesaid.Andhelaughedtoo.“Butpleasedonotspringthehorsesthefirsttime.”

“The horse,”sheremindedhim.“Yousaida one-horsevehicle.Ipromise.Iwillwaituntilthesecondtime.”

Hefeltabitdizzyashewheeledherchairinsideandfoundthatherservantwaswaitingashortdistanceawaytotakeher wherevershewishedtogo.Whatthedevilhadhesuggested?Orwasitshewhohadsuggestedit?Haditbeenmerelyajoke? LucasandPippawouldhavehishead.SowouldLadyCatherineEmmett.

ProbablyDevlintoo.

CHAPTER FOUR

Jenniferusedhercrutchestomovefromthedoorofherroomtothechaiselonguenearthewindowandproppedthembeside itwhenshesat.Theguestroomswereintheeastwing,belowthenursery.Therewasapanoramicviewtotheeast,mostly of rollinggrassland that stretched far into the distance before beingbrokenbya line of hills, whichapparentlyformed the boundarybetweenRavenswoodandCartref,thehomeandestateofSirIforandLadyRhys

There was one noticeable man-made feature betweenthe house and the hills, apartfromthe crisscrossingfootpaths and slightlywider ridingand carriage paths. Two long, parallel rows ofpoplar trees stretched diagonallyawayfromone ofthe paths Sheguessedtheremustbeasecludedwalkingareabetweentherows,aplacetostrollatone’sleisure,perhapswitha bookinhand.Itwasamodestactivityshecouldneverhopetoenjoy.

Butsheshookofftheself-pityingthought.She was abletositinthatlovelycourtyardwithsunlightbeamingdownonher andthesightandsmellofrosesallaroundandthesoothingsoundofwatersprayingfromthefountain Howveryfortunateshe was.Luchadmarriedintoagoodfamily.Hehadwedtheperfectwifetoo.PippawasnotonlyJennifer’ssister-in-lawbutalso her dearestfriend.ShehadbeenthatevenbeforeLucbegantocourther.Sometimes lifereallydidshower blessings upona person

ThewholeoftheWarefamilywasamiable,infact,andwarmandwelcoming ButtherewasalsoMr BenEllis,whowas not aWarebynamethoughhewasneverthelessanintegralpartofthefamily.

Hewasthesortofmanonetendednottonotice.Inphysicalappearancehewasvery...well,ordinary.Hewastall,with broadshouldersandasturdybuild Hehaddarkishbrownhair,whichhekeptshortandneatlystyled Hisfacewaspleasant butnotoutstandinglyhandsome.Hedressedjustfashionablyenoughthatonedidnotnoticeexactlywhathewore.Hewasquiet withoutbeingsilent,seriouswithoutbeingmorose,wellmanneredwithoutbeingeitherostentatiousorobsequious.

Italladdedupto ordinariness

Jenniferwonderedifitwasdeliberate.Didhe choose togounnoticed?Hewastheillegitimatesonofthelateearlbuthad beenpartoftheearl’sfamilysincehewasaveryyoungchild,accordingtoAuntKitty’saccount.Hemusthavebeenaccepted withkindnessbythecountess aremarkablefact BothsheandMr Ellis’shalfbrothersandsisterstreatedhimwithaffection ashetreatedthem Theyall doteduponhisdaughter Buthehadnever beengivenhisfather’sname Hadtherebeenother subtleornot-so-subtledetailsthathadsethimapart?Oneofthem,ofcourse,hadnotbeensubtleatall.Whenhisfatherdied,it wasDevlinWare,Mr.Ellis’s younger brother,whohadinheritedthetitleandRavenswoodand,presumably,otherproperties andafortunetoo Therewouldhavebeennochoiceinthat,ofcourse Mr Elliswas illegitimate

Jenniferhadscarcelynoticedhimuntiltoday.She hoped thathadnothingtodowithhisillegitimacy.Shehopedshehadnot dismissedhimasapersonofnoaccountbecausehewasbyfarhersocialinferior.Butshecouldnotbesure.Somanyofthe judgmentsonemadeaboutotherpeoplewereunconscious ShehadclearmemoriesofmeetingeveryothermemberoftheWare familylastyearinLondon.TheyhadallbeenatArdenHouseforLucandPippa’swedding.Shehadrememberedtoothelittle curly-hairedgirlwhohadwantedtositonherwheeledchairwithherandgoforaride.ButshehadrecalledMr.Ellis,ifat all,onlyasthefatherofthatchild,themanwhowasconnectedwiththeWaresbutwasnotreallyoneofthem

Whataverystrangeencounterthathadbeenbetweenthetwoofthemoutinthecourtyard.Ithadbeenalmostbizarre.She hadbeenhorriblyembarrassedtobediscoveredwalkingtheretwo-footedonhercrutches.Shewasalwayscareful nottobe seenbyanyone except Bruce. She had done a mental inventorybefore goingout there after the Rhyses had left, and it had seemedtoherthateveryonewasaccountedfor Thosewhohadnotstillbeeninthedrawingroomwhensheleftwereontheir

wayuptothenursery,thebabiesnowbeingallawake.Mr.Ellishadnotfiguredinthatinventory.Shecouldnotrememberifhe hadsaidhewasgoingwiththenurserygrouporifhehadremainedinthedrawingroom.Orwhetherindeedhehadbeenthere atallduringthevisitoftheRhyses.

To do him justice, he had been quite willing to leave the courtyard so she could have it to herself again He had undoubtedlybeenas embarrassed as she. Butsomehow she could notremember who had suggested it theyhad ended up sittingtogetherintherosearbor.Andtheretheyhadtalked.

Thathadbeenthemostbizarrepart

Shehadtoldhimaboutherillnessandaboutherbentlegandtwistedankleandfoot.Itwasincredible.She never talkedon thesubjectwithanyoneelse,evenherclosestfamily.Itwashorridandembarrassingandnotatallgenteel.Andthenshehad listened to his wild ideas onhow she might oh, not overcome her disability, but find ways to add more mobilityand independenceandvarietytoherlife.Nottomentionexhilaration.Byriding.Uponahorse’sback,ifyouplease.Byswimming. Inwater,whereshewouldsinklikeastone.Bywearingsomecontraptionsonherlegandfoottohelpherwalkbetter orrun andleapandtwirl.Themanwasmad.

Oh,butthelonginghisridiculousideashadarousedinher!

Hehadalsotoldhersomethingofhimself,andshewonderedifhehadsetoutdeliberatelytoshockher.Ifhehad,thenhe hadcertainlysucceeded.SheknewthatDevlinhadbeenamilitaryofficerduringthePeninsularWars.Shehadprobablyknown toothatMr Ellishadgonewithhim,thoughasacivilianratherthanasafellowofficer He Mr Ellis,thatwas hadmarried a washerwoman,whohadgrownupina Londonorphanage andbefore she methimbeenmarriedandwidowedtwice,both timestocommonsoldiers.Joy,thatlittlegirlwhowassuchadelight,wastheproductofhismarriage.

He was like someone froma different world Someone who had made himself virtually invisible in her world, not by hidingbutbybeingvery...ordinary.

Shehadaskedhimtotakeheroutonedayinaconveyanceshemightconceivablydriveherself.Atleastthatwaswhatshe hadimplied Shall we try it one day? No,shehaddonemorethanimplyit

Andhehadagreed

Was she madtoo?Shecouldneverdriveavehicle.Eventhoughitmightappearasthoughallthedrivingwasdonewiththe hands,andtherewasnothingwrongwithhers,inrealitythefeetsurelyhadmuchtodowithittoo.Theyhadtobracethebody whilethedriverpulledupontheribbonstoslowthecarriageorstopitorchangedirection Withouttwoserviceablefeetshe wouldbeatthemercyofthehorse,whichcouldjerkheroverboardwithonewrongmove.Shedidnothavetwoserviceable feet.

Hewouldprobablyforgetthewholething Deliberately Andshewascertainlynotgoingtoremindhim Infact,shewas quitesureshewouldavoideitherlookingathimorbeingnearhiminthecomingdaysifshecouldpossiblydosowithoutbeing obvious about it. Mr. Ellis made her intensely uncomfortable. She was not sure why though a few possible reasons had suggested themselves just this afternoon There was a certain otherness about the man A differentness She was adept at makingconversationwithallsortsanddegreesofpeoplefromherownworld Evenservantsandtradespeople Therewasno reasonsheshouldnotbeabletochatamiablywithhimtoo.Hehad,afterall,grownupinanoblehousehold this household andbeenraisedasagentleman.

Thesethoughtswerespinninginher headandshewasnotsorrywhenalighttaponher door interruptedthem Itopened slowlyandsoundlessly,andaheadpeeredaroundit.

“Ah,good,”Philippasaid,pushingthedoorwideandsteppinginside.“Youarenotasleep.AmIinterruptinganything?But Idonotseeabookonyourlap”

“Iamrelaxingandenjoyingtheview,”Jennifertoldherwithasmileassheindicatedthewindowwithasweepofherarm. “Dojoinme,Pippa.Isthereacultivatedwalkingpathbetweenthosetwolonglinesoftrees?Theymusthavebeenplantedby people Natureisnotnearlysoneat”

“Thereis,”Philippasaid.“Itisalovelywide,grassyalley,borderedbythetreesyoucansee,withbenchessetatintervals alongit.Atthefar endthereisaglasssummerhouse,thoughyoucannotseeitfromthiswindow.Itisaverypleasantretreat whenone wants to be quietand alone withone’s thoughts or a letter or book or a special someone. Speakingofwhich, I simplymusttakeLucasthereonedaybeforewegohome”ShelaughedandbattedhereyelashesatJennifer “TheRhysesare delightfulpeople,Jenny,aretheynot?Wearesoveryfortunateinournearestneighbors.”

“Youareindeed,”Jenniferagreedashersister-in-lawsettledintoanarmchairadjacenttothechaiselongue.“Devlinmight neverhavemetGwynethiftheyhad not beenyourneighbors”

“Now there is a thought,” Philippa said “How randoman adventure life can be I cannot imagine either one of them marriedtoanyoneelse.”

Theywentontotalkcomfortablywitheachotherforhalfanhourorlonger.

—

Benwas sittingona benchjustinside the stable doors the followingday,breathinginthe comforting,familiar smells of horseandhayandmanurewhilehestitchedaroundtheedges ofacushionhe hadfashionedoutofanoldhaversack.It haddonedutyasapackforhisbelongingsinthePeninsulaandsincethenasabackcarrierforJoy.He’dhaditfittedwitha metalframeandhadholescutandboundinittoaccommodateherlegssoshecouldsitsnuglyandsafelyinsidewhilewatching theworldgobyoverhisshoulders.Itwasnolongerneededforthatpurpose.Hehadremovedtheframe,recuttheshabbybut still toughfabric,andmadeacushionofit.Itwasstuffedwithcleanstraw tomakeitthickandfirmbutwithsomegivetoit too

HehadbecomeadeptwithaneedlewhileinthePeninsula.Amancouldnotcarrymanyclotheswithhimthere,andthose hedidhavewereforever poppingbuttons or sproutingholes andsplitseams andunintendedtearsbothminor andmajor.He hadneverallowedMarjorietodohisdarningandrepairsforhimthoughshehadprotestedonmorethanoneoccasion Shehad hadenoughworkofherowntodo.

Thecushionwaspartofhisplanofrestitution,ifthatwastherightword.Hisapology,then,thoughonlyheknewtherewas anythingto apologize for and he would notever make itverbal He had come to the conclusionthathis reasonfor avoiding

Lady Jennifer Arden in the past, though it had been unconscious, had definitely been her crippled state It had made him uncomfortableandself-consciousforsomeinexplicablereason.Sohehadallowedhimselftobelievethatshewasabitcold andarrogantandhedidnotlikeher.Shewasneitherofthosetwothings,andtherewasnothingtodislikeabouther.Shemade anefforttobecheerfulwitheveryone Shewasnotawhiner Shedidnotuseherdisabilitytodemandsympathyandattention andservicefromeveryonearoundher.Hehadevenheardhersay please and thank you tothatburly,verysilentattendantof hers.

Itwas not well done ofhimto be uncomfortable withher disability Itwas nothis Itwas hers, and she handled itwith quietdignity.Hewouldstillprefertokeephisdistancefromher,forsheremainedattheoppositeendofthesocialscalefrom himdespite his upbringing. Butrestitutionhad to be made for the sake ofhis conscience. Hence the cushion. And hence the otherideaheintendedtoproposeabitlater,afterJoywokefromherafternoonnap

Inthe meanwhile, as he stitched, his mind wandered yet againto his letter He still had not done anythingabout it He wouldreallyliketodiscussitwithDevlin,butsomethingmadehimhesitate.Devwashisbrotherandclosestfriend,buthehad onlyeverseenBenasamemberofhisownfamilydespitethedifferenceintheirstatus,evendowntotheirlastnames.Itwas doubtfulthatDevlinhadevergivenmuchthoughttoBen’smotherorthelifeshehadlivedorthefamilythathadbeenhers He had almostnever spokenofher withBen. Perhaps he had thoughtto be tactful, to refrainfromremindinghis brother ofthe disreputablehalfofhisidentity.PerhapshethoughtBenwasashamedandwantedtoforget.PerhapsheeventhoughtBen had forgotten When Devlin had been banished following the great debacle at the summer fete eight years ago, he had been surprisedthatBenhadchosentogowithhimandwantedtoknowwhyhewasdoingit.Itseemednottohaveoccurredtohim until Bentoldhimthatthediscoveryoftheir father’sinfidelitiesandphilanderingwaysmightbeevenmoreofablow tohis elderbrotherthanitwastohim

Ben’sfather,thelateEarlofStratton,hadalwaysassuredhisfirstbornsonthattheaffairwithhismotherhadbeenaserious relationship,thathehadlovedherdeeplyandwouldhavemarriedherifhehadnotbeenconstrainedinhischoiceofbrideby thenecessityofmarryinghissocialequal.Hehadclaimedstilltoloveherevenafterherdeath.HehadtoldBenthathewould always holdher memoryclose tohis heart,thatthere hadnever beenanyother womaninhis life excepthis countess,Ben’s stepmother.Benhadbelievedhimwholeheartedlyasaboyandignoredanydoubthemayhavefeltashegrewolder.Devlin’s denunciationoftheir father atthatball hadcome as a terrible shocktoBen,suggestingas itdidthathis mother hadbeenno moretohisfatherthanacasualwhorehehadusedforhispleasure,oneofcountlessmany

Now Benhadaletterinhispocketfromamanwhoclaimedtobehiselderbrother,hiselderhalfbrother,thelegitimate sonofBen’smotherandherhusband.TheletterwassignedVincentKelliston.Mr.Kellistonexplainedthathismotherhadfled hermarriagewhenhersonwasfiveyearsoldandgonetoLondon,whereshecameundertheprotectionoftheEarlofStratton andlatergavebirthtoanother,bastardson.Hehadactuallyusedthatwordintheletter bastard

My father was undeniably a brute, hehadwritten.

I do not blame her for running away I always wondered why she left me behind, but I did not doubt she had good reason, and who was I to judge her when I did not know the exact circumstances? Why my father did not make any effort to go after her and find her and bring her back home, I did not know either. She would have been almost impossible to find, of course She changed her name

VincentKelliston’s father had died recently, and his sonconsidered ittime thatthe two halfbrothers make eachother’s acquaintanceatlast.HedidnotexplainhowhehadfoundBenorevenknewofhisexistence.

Ben’sfatherhadclaimedtoknownothingofhismother’sbackground,andBenhadbelievedhim.Eventually,ofcourse,he hadunderstoodthathisfatherwasprobablyquiteuninterestedinhismotherasapersonandhadneverbotheredtoquestionher aboutherselfandherpast.Shehadmeantnothingtohimbeyondtheobviousservicesheprovided.

Discoveringthesebarebonesofherhistory ifVincentKellistonwastobebelieved,thatwas wasshockingtoBen.Part ofhimhadwantedtodashoffassoonashereadthelettertomeetthisapparentbrotherofhis,wholivedinKent,anddiscover alltherewastobeknown.Anotherpartofhimhadwantedtotearthelettertoshreds,dropthemintothenearestfire,andforget hehadeverseenit.WhatPandora’sboxwasitlikelytoopen?Orwastheremorefamilyinadditiontothisbrotherwaitingto meet him, willing and eager to embrace himas one of their own? Kelliston had made no mention of anyone but himself Perhapshewastheonlyone.HemustbeatleastsixyearsolderthanBen closetoforty,then,orevenpastit.Hehadmadeno referencetoawifeorchildren.

Sincethefirstshockoftheletterandtheteemingthoughtsandhopesanddoubtsthathadcrowdedhismind,Benhadbeen mentallyparalyzedwithindecision justashehadbeenforthelastfewmonthsoveradifferentissue,thechoiceofasecond wife.ItseemedunlikelythatanyothermembersofKelliston’sfamily,iftherewereany, would welcometheillegitimatesonof thedisgracedwomanwhohadabandonedhusbandandchildandfled,onlytogivebirthtoanotherman’schild anotherman’s bastard ayearorsolater

Very unlikely.

Butthetwoquestionsthathadplaguedhismindthemostwere how and why?HowhadVincentKellistonfoundhim?How hadheevenknowntherewassomeonetofind?AndwhydidhewishtoacknowledgetheconnectionwithBen?Wasitcredible thathe would wantto meetand welcome his mother’s bastard son, conceived after she ranawayand abandoned himto the merciesofabruteofafather?Wasitnotfarmorelikelythathewouldhatethatbrotherwithaburningpassion?

Bensimplycouldnotdecidewhattodo Ifherepliedtotheletter,whatexactlywouldhesay?Ifhedidnotreply,wouldhe be forever sorry? Or would there be more suchletters? Half of his identityhad always beena total blankto him He had yearnedall hislifeto know. Yethe hadbeenforcedtoacceptthe likelihoodthathe never would.There hadbeennowayto tracehismotherbeyondthediscreetnesthisfatherhadsetupforher.

WhatwouldDevlinadvise? Or Mother? Or Owenor one ofhis sisters? Or Nick,whowouldbe here inthe nextdayor two?Shouldhegatherthemallandspeaktothemasagroup,perhaps?Seewhattheyhadtosayorsuggest?Thiswastheworst timefor suchaprivatefamilyconsultation,however.Therewerevisitorsinthehouseandonemorewasexpected Owen’s friendfromOxford Andthesummer fetewasloominglargeonthehorizonandwasalreadyoccupyingmuchofthetimeand attentionofGwynethandMotherandDevlin.Theywerenotorganizingthewholething,ofcourse,asMotherusedto,butthere wasstillplentytodo.

Atleasttheletterhadrelievedhismindofthatotherdilemma Sincethedayofhisarrivalhehadsparedhardlyathoughtto histhreeprospectivebrides Maybeitwasagoodthing Perhapswhilehewasnotconsciouslythinkingofthedecisionhemust make,itwouldmakeitself,andbythetimehereturnedhomehewouldknowexactlytowhichofthemhewouldpaycourt. HefinishedsewingthecushionjustasJoycameburstingintothestables.Hehadleftherasleepinthenursery,thoughher nursehadpromisedtobringher outhere tohimwhensheawoke He was planningtotake her withhimintothe village He wantedtocallatthesmithytohaveawordwithCamHolland,butafterwardhewouldtakehisdaughtertothecoffeeroomat theinnforaglassoflemonade.

Shebouncedtwo-footedacrossthefloortowardhim “DidNursebringyouout?”heaskedher.

“AuntySteph,”shesaid.“Sheisoutbythefence,buttherearenohorsiesinthepaddocktowatch.UncleOwen’sfriendhas come Heisnice”

“IsupposehewouldbeifheisUncleOwen’sfriend,”Bensaid,settingthecushiononthebenchbesidehimandgettingto hisfeettotakeherhandinhis.“Doyouwanttocometothevillagewithme?ForlemonadeafterIhaverunmyerrand?Shall

weaskAuntStephtocometoo?”

“Ye-e-es,” she cried, and snatched her hand away to dash back out into the sunshine and across the stable yard to the paddockfence.

Stephaniewasstillleaningonit,gazingattheemptyspacebeyondasthoughshehadnotevennoticedtherewerenohorses there.SheturnedherheadtosmiledownatJoywhenhisdaughtertuggedonherskirtandtoldherabouttheintendedtreat.

“SoWatleyhasarrived?”Bensaid.

“What?”shesaid,lookingbrieflyupathimbeforeturningherattentionbacktothepaddock “Oh Yes Owenishappy” ButStephaniewasnot,Bencouldsee.“Whatistheproblem?”heasked. “Thereisnone,”shesaid.

“Washenotpolitetoyou?”heasked “Who?”shesaid.“Owen?Oh,youmeanViscountWatley?Hewas.Yes.Ofcoursehewas.” “Butyoudislikehim,”hesaid.

“OfcourseIdonotdislikehim,”shesaid.“Idonoteven know him.Butoh,Ben,heisthemosthandsomemanIhaveever seeninmyentirelife HowcanIevergobackintothehouse?”

TheproblemmightnotbeobvioustoanyonewhohadnotknownStephanieallherlife.Atseventeen,shewaslarge both tallandgenerouslybuilt.Shehadaroundface,withcheeksthatglowedwithyouthandgoodhealth.Herhairwasgoldenblond andmightbecalledher crowninggloryexceptthatshealways woreitinaheavydoubleplaitabouther headandhadflatly refusedtohaveitcutoreventrimmedsinceshewasachild.Shehadalwaysseenherselfasfatandugly.Asachildshehad waitedwithwaninghopeforherbabyfattogoaway,aseveryonehadassuredheritwould.Itneverhad.

“Steph,”Bensaid,settinganarmabouthershoulders “Youarebeautiful”

Shemadethepuffingsoundofcontemptshealwaysproducedwithherlipswhenanyonesaidthingslikethattoher.

“Ifyoucouldseeyourselfasothersseeyou,”hesaid,“youwouldknowthetruthofthat.”

It was true too Oh, there would always be people who would see her as she saw herself Unfortunatelyphysical size, especiallyforawoman,wassomethingbywhichbeautyoritslackwasoftenmeasured Butevenlargenesscouldbebeautiful, especiallyifithousedafitandbeautifulperson.Stephwaslovely,arayoflightinaworldthatwasoftendark.Yetwhenshe lookedinamirrorallshesawwashersize.

“YouareLadyStephanieWare,”heremindedher “Owen’ssister AndDev’sandPippa’s Nick’stoo Andmine” “Youaremyaunty,”Joysaid,tuggingagainatherskirt.

“SoIam,”Stephaniesaid,andlaughed.“Whatawonderfulthingtobe.DidyousayIaminvitedtothevillagetoo?” “Forlemonade,”Joytoldher “Papaistakingus”

“ThenIamdefinitelycoming,”Stephaniesaid,takingoneofJoy’shandswhileBentooktheother.

Everyone, Benthought, had their troubles. Itwas nota veryprofound or original thought, butsometimes one forgotand becameabsorbedinone’sownwoestothepointofself-pity

Eventhesistersandgranddaughtersofdukeshadtheirtroubles Sometimesbigones Withwhichtroubleshewasabouttointerfere.

“UncleOwen’sfriendislikeastoryprince,”Joywassayingasshetrippedalongbetweenthem.“Maybehewillmarrya princess”

CHAPTER FIVE

Benhadinspectedtheoldgigbeforemakingthecushion.Asfarasheknew,itwasrarelyused.Hehadmadesureitwasin goodrepair,thattheseatswerecomfortableandwouldofferthepropersupport,andthatthefootboardwasfirmandnot toofardistantfromtheseats.Thecushionwaswhathehopedwasasolutiontooneproblemthathadoccurredtohim thefact thatLadyJenniferArden’srightlegwasshorterthantheleftandthatherrightfootwastwistedandnodoubtsensitivetoany unduepressureputuponit.

Butthegigwouldnotfulfillallherdreams.Shealsowantedtowalk.However,thewayshewastryingtodoitnow just didnotworkandwouldnotnomatterhowmuchshetried Theillnessandthedamageithaddonehadhappenedwhenshewas achildandmustsurelynow beirreversible.Her legmuscles,maybeher backtoo,mustacheunbearablyafter her attempted walks.Yetshepersisted againstthedirectadviceofherphysicianandfamily,itseemed.

Onecouldnothelpbutadmireher

Onecouldnothelpalsosympathizingwithherfamily.Theylovedherdearly.HehadobservedthatlastyearinLondonand againatGreystone. He had seenithere. She had almostdied ofher illness, whichhad apparentlybeena mysteryto all the experts her father had summoned It had left her crippled, or as close to being crippled as made no difference It was understandablethattheyprotectedandcoddledherandtriedtopreventherfromdoingfurtherdamagetoherself

Justoccasionallyfamiliescouldbeone’sworstenemy.Especiallylovingfamilies.

HespenthalfanhouratthesmithyinBoscombe,talkingwithCameronHolland,whohadtakenovermostoftheworkfrom hisfatherduringthepastyearorso

Camfrowned and sounded verydubious indeed after Benhad explained his idea. “Youmeanlike a kind of cage?” he asked.

“Well”Benfrownedback “Sortof,Isuppose Somethingtobracethelegandholditsteadywhileweightisplacedonit” “Butnotto straighten it,”Camsaid.“Iwouldnotdaretrythat,Ben,besidesitssurelybeingimpossibleanyway.Isthere suchathingasaleagueofphysicians associatedwithaleagueoflawyers?Theywouldhavemehangedorattheveryleast transportedforlifeifsomethingwentwrong,assomethingsurelywould HerbrothermightbeLadyPhilippa’shusband,buthe isalsoabloodyduke His Grace of Bloody Wilby”

“No,” Ben said. “Not to straighten the leg. Merely to hold it steady, to give it some support. Is it a mad idea? Is it possible?”

“Yes to the first,” Camsaid “No to the second It would be grand if it did work, though, wouldn’t it? Does she know you’reherespoutingmadnessonherbehalf?”

“No,”Bensaid.“Andanotherthing,Cam:Thedeformedlegisshorterthantheother.Therewouldhavetobesomethingto makeitthesamelength”

“Ah,well that’saneasyone.”Cam’sfrowndisappearedtobereplacedbyagrin.“Wejustpull hardonit,Ben,youand me.”

Bengrimaced and rubbed one knuckle over his forehead “Iwas thinkingmaybe a bootwithankle supportand anextra thicksole?”hesaid,makingaquestionofit.

Camstaredathim.“Itwouldweighaton,”hesaid.“Wewouldneedacobbler.” We?

“I’lltrotoverandhaveawordwithJohnRogers,”Camsaid “Heisalwayscomplainingthatalmosttheonlyworkhegets thesedays is dull stuff,likereplacingworn-downheels andstitchinguppers thathavesprungloosefromtheir soles.I’ll see whathethinksofarealchallenge.”

“It is madness,isitnot?”Bensaid Andreally,whythedevilwasheevenheredoingthis?Justbecausehefeltguiltyfor cringingfromherdisability?Orbecausehehadhadabriefglimpseofhopeandhopelessdeterminationwhenhehadlooked acrossthecourtyardtoseeherlurchingalongonhercrutches?Hehadalwaysbeenadreamerandaproblemsolver,buthehad neverentertainedthedelusionthathewasamiracleworker

“Utter insanity,” Camsaid cheerfully. “Come backdownhere tomorrow or evenlater today, and I’ll tell youwhatJohn says thoughIwoulddarepredictitwillbenothingmoreconstructivethanamouthfulofprofanities.I’lltellyousomething, though,Ben Wecoulddonothingwhatsoeverwithoutthelady’sconsentandcooperation Shewouldhavetocomehereandlet ushavealookatwhatwewouldbefacing.Alady,Ben.Aduke’s sister.Thinkaboutit.Wouldyougethertoagreeinamillion years?”

“Maybeinamillionandahalf,”Bensaid.“I’llseeyoulater,then,Cam.I’msorrytohavedisturbedyou.Youwerebusy.”

“Iwas,” Camsaidwithanexaggeratedsigh “Butyouhave gotme thinkingand wonderingnow, Ben, damnyour eyes I usuallytrytoavoiddoingeither.Itkeepslifesimpler.”

Benhad leftStephanie and Joyoutonthe village green. There were unusually, despite its name some ducks bobbing aboutontheduckpond: amotherwitharow ofducklingsfollowingherinaline Joywaslyingonherstomachonthegrass closetothewater,her chinproppedonher hands.Shewas totallyabsorbedinwatchingwhileStephaniesatbesideher,her armshuggingherupdrawnknees.

HestoodandwatchedthemforafewminutesuntilStephanieturnedherheadandsawhim ShesaidsomethingtoJoy,who jumpedtoherfeetandbouncedacrossthegreentowardhim.

“Duckies,Papa,”shesaid,pointingbacktothepond.“Allinarow.Canwegoforlemonadenow?”

“Wemayindeed,”hesaid,takingherhandinhisandsmilingatStephanie,whoseemedtohaverecoveredfromherearlier discomfortatdiscoveringthattheirnewguest,ViscountWatley,Owen’sfriend,wasthemosthandsomemanintheworld Or, inJoy’swords,astorybookprince.

Jennifer’s spirits had indeed lifted with her stay at Ravenswood, as had her aunt’s Their days were filled with busy, interestingactivitiesandgoodcompany,withconversationandlaughter,withvisitstoandfromneighbors,withthefrequent presenceofchildren,mostlybabies,whowereheldandrockedandtalkedtoandplayedwithbyeveryone.Shemarveledatthe warmthand soft weight and plump cheeks ofher nephew and niece and held them, one ineacharm, whenever she had the opportunity Theywereatthemostadorablestageofbabyhood

JoyEllishadfinallyhadherrideonthewheeledchair,sittingverystillandprimandlightasafeatheronJennifer’slap, butthenshriekingwithgleeandtippingbackherheadtolaughupsidedownatJenniferasOwenwheeledthemsedatelyabout theperimeterofthedrawingroom,atrathermorespeedaroundtheadjoiningmusicroom,andalmostrecklesslyfastalongthe widecorridorbeyonditwhilemakingthesoundsofatrottinghorse.ThechildcharmedJenniferutterlywhentheywerebackin thedrawingroombysayingthankyouandraisingpuckeredlipstoherforakissbeforeOwensnatchedherup,setherastride hisshoulders,graspedherhands,andwentgallopingoffwithherbackoutintothecorridorwhilethechild’sfathershookhis headandlaughed.

After afew days therewas new companytoenjoy.Jennifer hadmetandlikedMajor Nicholas Warelastyear inLondon beforehereturnedtoBelgiumandtheBattleofWaterloo,whichhadbeenfoughtsoonafter.Fortunatelyhehadsurvivedand had sustained no serious injury She had no previous acquaintance with Viscount Watley, Owen Ware’s friend He was an extraordinarilyhandsome and charmingyoungmanwho invited everyone to please call himBertrand. He told themall one afternoonashebouncedLucandPippa’stwinsonhiskneesthathewasatwinhimselfand,likeChristopher,theyoungerofthe two,withasisterhalfanhourolderthanhe

“Itis aghastlyweaponfatehas putinyour sister’s hands,lad,”hehadtoldachucklingChristopher whileEmilyblew a bubbleandclappedherhands.“Shewillneverletyouforget.”

They went to church on Sunday morning, and Jennifer was enthralled by the organ music played by Sir Ifor Rhys He wheeled her chair closer after the service to show her the soaringpipes, the multiple keyboards, the longrows ofwooden pedals,andagreatdealelse.HedescribedtheinstrumentwithpleasedanimationforalloffifteenminutesevenafterJoyEllis

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