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"Then you admit you conspired to kill my brother" Si

"Tcha" The older man made an irritated sound "You reduce it to the si over play blocks, when it was nothing of the sort"

"No?"

"No, of course not We stood to lose a fortune--all the investors, not just I"

"Money" Simon’s lips twisted

"Yes, money!" The olderover money like it dirties your hands Why do you think we all, your brother included, went into the venture in the first place? We needed the money"

"You killed reed," Sie

"We killed your brother for our fa heavily, perhaps surprised by his own candor "For h Don’tforan aristocrat ould’ve let o to the poorhouse so he could stand on his noble principles"

"You make it see, yet it was a gamble from the start It was hardly Ethan’s fault the price of tea fell"

"No," Sir Rupert agreed "Not his fault But it would’ve been his fault had he kept us fro the insurance money"

"You killed him to commit a fraud"

"I killed him to preserve my family"

"I don’t care" Simon lifted his lip in a sneer "I don’t care what excuses you’ve made, what reasons you have in your own mind, what sorrows you seek to win my pity with You killed Ethan You’ve admitted the murder yourself"

"You don’t care?" The older man’s voice was soft in the still, oppressive air "You, who have spent a year avenging your own family?"

Simon’s eyes narrowed A bead of sweat ran down his back

"I think you do understand," Sir Rupert said "Do care, in fact, for ered another leaf "You tried to have my wife killed For that alone I will see you dead"

Sir Rupert s The attempt on your wife’s life was not my fault That was the work of Lord Walker, and you’ve already killed him, haven’t you?"

Si him with this hope of redeo He’d killed four men already This one said he wasn’t a threat to Lucy He could walk away, go hoain So easy "I cannot let ed? You’ve avenged your brother to the tune of four souls Isn’t that enough?"

"Not while you still live" Simon tore the leaf

Sir Rupert flinched "And ill you do? Make war on a crippled man?" He held up his crutch like a shield

"If need be I’ll have a life for a life, Fletcher, cripple or no" Simon turned and walked to the door

"You won’t do it, Iddesleigh," the old man called behind him "You’re too honorable"

Simon smiled "Don’t count on it You’re the one who pointed out how very similar we are" He closed the door and walked out of the house, the scent of hothouse citrus following him

"YOU NEED TO HOLD STILL, THEODORA DEAR, if you want Aunt Lucy to draw your portrait," Rosalind chided that afternoon

Pocket, in the act of swinging her leg, froze and darted an anxious glance at Lucy

Lucy smiled "Ale drawing room at the front of Simon’s town house--her town house as well, now that they ed Sheof it that way But truthfully, Lucy still considered the house and servants Sihed What nonsense Of course she would stay She wassince passed No matter what he did, she was his wife And if he didn’t duel anyrow ever closer Just this ent love to her, had even told her he loved her What more could a woman ask from her husband? She should’ve felt safe and war loss? Why hadn’t she said she loved hi, yet she’d been unable to form them

Lucy shook her head and concentrated on the sketch Simon had insisted this rooh she had to admit now that it really was lovely With Rosalind’s help, she’d chosen the colors of a ripe peach: delicate yellows, sunny pinks, and rich reds The result was lively and soothing at the saht in the house That alone would’ve made it Lucy’s favorite She looked at her subject matter Pocket was dressed in turquoise silk that provided a beautiful contrast for her flaxen locks, but she sat stiffly hunched as if frozen in le

Lucy hastily made a few more strokes with her pencil "Done"

"Huzzah!" Pocket exploded off the chair she’d been posed on "Let me see"

Lucy turned her sketchbook

The little girl tilted her head first one way and then another, then scrunched her nose "Is that what my chin looks like?"

Lucy examined her sketch "Yes"

"Theodora"

Brought up short by hertone, Pocket bobbed a curtsy "Thank you, Aunt Lucy"

"You’re most welcome," Lucy replied "Would you like to see if Cook is finished with her ht have one for you to sa enough to seek herout of the rooan to put away her pencils

"It’s very kind of you to indulge her so," Rosalind said

"Not at all I enjoy it" Lucy glanced up "You and Pocket will be co, won’t you? I’ot Christ pies"