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"Wait" His tone had softened in what s of conciliation "Daisy…"

"Don’t speakyour pardon What I meant to say, Miss Bow an issue that has great consequence for both of us I expect we can h to find an acceptable solution"

"There is only one solution," Daisy said griorically refuse to marry me under any circumstances Promise me that and I’ll try to be civil to you"

Swift stopped on the path, which forced Daisy to stop as well Turning to face him, she raised her brows expectantly God kneould not be a difficult proht of his earlier statelance, his hands still buried in his pockets, his body tensed in stillness It seeaze slid over her in open evaluation, and there was a strange gleam in his eyes that drew a shiver froht, like a tiger in wait She stared back at his of histo decipher shadows of aer for what? Not for her, certainly

"No," he said softly, as if to himself

Daisy shook her head in bewilderment Her lips were dry, and she had to daue before she could speak It unnerved her that his gaze followed the tiny movement "Was that a ‘no’ as in…‘No, I won’t marry you?’" she asked

"That was a ‘no,’" he replied, "as in…‘No, I won’t promise not to’"

And with that, Swift passed by her and continued toward theto torture you," Lillian said in disgust as Daisy related the entire story later in the day They sat in the private upstairs parlor of the country manor with their two closest friends, Annabelle Hunt and Evie, Lady St Vincent They had all met two years earlier, a quartet of wallfloho for various reasons had not been able to bring any eligible gentlemen up to scratch

It was a popular belief in Victorian society that women, with their mercurial natures and lesser brains, could not have the same quality of friendship that men did Only men could be loyal to each other, and only h-ht that was rubbish She and the other wallfloell, for trust They helped each other, encouraged each other with no hint of competition or jealousy Daisy loved Annabelle and Evie nearly as much as she did Lillian She could easily envision therandchildren over tea and biscuits, traveling together as a silver-haired horde of tart-tongued old ladies

"I don’t believe for one second that Mr Swift knew nothing about it," Lillian continued "He’s a liar and he’s in league with Father Of course he wants to inherit the company"

Lillian and Evie sat in brocade-upholstered chairs by the hile Daisy and Annabelle lounged on the floor airl with a lets crawled back and forth between the concentration to tweeze soers

The infant, Isabelle, had been born to Annabelle and Simon Hunt approximately ten months earlier Surely no baby had ever been doted onher father

Contrary to all expectations the virile and masculine Mr Hunt had not been at all disappointed that his firstborn was a girl He adored the child, showing no co to her in a way that fathers seldom dared Hunt had even instructed Annabelle to produce uishly that it had always been his aht have been expected, the baby was exceptionally beautiful--it would be a physical impossibility for Annabelle to produce a less than spectacular offspring

Picking up Isabelle’s sturdy, wriggling body, Daisy nuzzled into her silky neck before setting her on the carpet again "You should have heard hiance was incredible Swift has decided that it is my own fault that I am still unh And he lectured me on the cost of my books and said that someone has to pay for my expensive lifestyle"

"He didn’t dare," Lillian exclaie

Daisy i her The family physician had advised that Lillian nancy She had beconant the previous year and had miscarried early on The loss had been difficult for Lillian, not to iven her hardy constitution

In spite of the doctor’s assurances that she was not to blae, Lillian had been melancholy for weeks afterward But with Westcliff’s steadfast coradually returned to her usual high-spirited self

Now that Lillian had conceived again she was far less cavalier about the pregnancy, e Unfortunately she was not one of those wo confinement She was splotchy, nauseous, and often ill-te at the restrictions her condition imposed

"I won’t stand for this," Lillian exclai to marry Mattheift, and I’ll send Father to the devil if he tries to take you away froland!"

Still seated on the floor, Daisy reached up and settled a cal hand on her older sister’s knee She forced her lips into a reassuring sht face

"Everything will be fine," she said "We’ll think of so We’ll have to" They had been too close for too many years In the absence of their parents’ affection Lillian and Daisy had been each other’s sole source of love and support for as long as they could remember

Evie, the least talkative of the four friends, spoke with a slight sta emotion When they had all met two years earlier, Evie’s stammer had been so severe as to make conversation an exercise in frustration But since leaving her abusive fareater confidence

"W-would Mr Swift really agree to take a bride not of his own choosing?" Evie pushed back a glea red curl that had slipped over her forehead "If what he said was true--that his financial situation is already s-secure--there is no reason for him to marry Daisy"