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Matthew had i in bed with her farcould ever have occurred, he would have been so gentle…he would have worshipped her Anything and everything to please her He longed for the intimacy of her hair in his hands, the soft jut of her hipbones beneath his palainst his lips The sleeping weight of her in his arms He wanted all of that, and so uessed at his feelings Daisy should have been able to see it every time she looked at him Fortunately for Matthew she never had She had always dis in the rateful for that

Soht of the way Daisy had stared at him earlier in the day, the startled wonder in her expression Was his appearance that different from before?

Absently Matthew shoved his hands deep in his pockets and walked through the interior of Stony Cross Manor He had never given a thought to his looks other than to make certain his hair was cut and his face was clean A stern New England upbringing had extinguished any flicker of vanity, as Bostonians abhorred conceit and did everything possible to avoid the new and fashionable

However, in the past couple of years Thoo to his Park Avenue tailor, and visit a hair-dresser instead of a barber, and have his nails entleman of his position Also at Bowman’s insistence, Matthew had hired a cook better of late That, along with losing the last vestiges of young adulthood, had given him a new look of maturity He wondered if that appealed to Daisy, and i

But the way she had looked at hi hilance on any of the occasions he had visited her family’s Fifth Avenue house His mind ventured back to the first time he had

The grandly appointed dining-rooht froilded paper and gold-paintedOne entire as lined with a succession of four er than any others he’d ever seen

Two of the sons had been present, both of theht Mercedes and Thomas had been seated at opposite ends of the table The two daughters, Lillian and Daisy, had sat on one side, surreptitiously nudging their plates and chairs closer together

Thohters, alternately ignoring thehter Lillian responded to Boith surly iarded her father in a speculative, rather cheerful way that seemed to annoy him beyond his ability to bear She had made Mattheant to smile With her luminous skin, her exotic cinnamon-colored eyes and quicksilver expressions, Daisy Bowman seemed to have come from an enchanted forest populated with mythical creatures

It had immediately become apparent to Matthew that any conversation Daisy took part in was apt to veer into unexpected and char directions He had been secretly amused when Thomas Bowman had chastised Daisy in front of everyone for her latest mischief It seemed that the Bowman household had lately become overrun with mice because all the traps they set had failed

One of the servants had reported that Daisy had been sneaking around the house at night, deliberately tripping all the traps to keep the hter?" Thoaze filled with ire as he stared at Daisy

"It could be," she had allowed "But there is another explanation"

"And what is that?" Bowratulatory "I think we are hosting the ent mice in New York!"

From that moment on Matthew had never refused an invitation to the Bowman mansion, not just because it pleased the old ave hilances as possible, knowing it was all he would ever have of her And the ardless of her cool politeness, had been the only ti his troubled thoughts, Mattheandered farther into the manor He had never been abroad before but this was exactly what he had iardens and the green hills beyond, and the rustic village at the feet of the grand estate

The house and its furniture were ancient and coes, but it seemed that in every corner there was so he had seen featured in art history books Perhaps a bit drafty in the winter, but with the plenitude of hearths and thick carpets and velvet curtains, one could hardly say that living here would be suffering

When Thomas Bowman, or rather his secretary, had written with the news that Mattheould be required to oversee the establishland, Matthew’s initial ie and the responsibility But being in the proximity of Daisy Bowman--even in the same country--would have been too much for Mattheithstand Her presence pierced hi a future of endless unsatisfied wanting

It was the secretary’s last few lines, reporting on the Bowman family’s welfare, that had seized Matthew’s attention

There is private doubt, the secretary had written, that the younger Miss Boill have any success at finding a suitable gentle her back to New York if she is still not betrothed by the end of spring…

This had left Matthew in a quandary If Daisy was returning to New York, Mattheas dae his bets by accepting the position in Bristol, and waiting to see if Daisy ed to catch a husband If she did, Mattheould find a replace as there was an ocean between theh the ht of Lord Westcliff The earl was in the co, black-haired man who possessed a soant attire Matthew guessed that he was Simon Hunt, Westcliff’s business partner and reportedly his closest friend For all Hunt’s financial success--which by all reports was remarkable--he had been born a butcher’s son, with no blood ties to the aristocracy

"Mr Swift," Westcliff said easily, as they rand staircase "It seems you’ve returned early fro?"

"The vieere nificent, my lord," Matthew replied "I look forward to many such walks around the estate I came back early because I happened tothe way"

"Ah" Westcliff’s face was impassive "No doubt that was a surprise for Miss Bowman"

And not a welcoaze without blinking One of hisable to read the ave people’s thoughts away But Westcliff was an unusually self-controlled man Matthew admired that

"I think it’s safe to say it was one of many surprises Miss Bowman has received recently," Matthew replied It was a deliberate atte about the possible arranged e with Daisy

The earl responded only with an infinitesi but not worthy of a response Da admiration

Westcliff turned to the black-haired man beside him "Hunt, I would like to introduce Mattheift--the American I mentioned to you earlier Swift, this is Mr Simon Hunt"

They shook hands firmly Hunt was five to ten years older than Matthew and looked as if he could be ht A bold, confident man who reputedly loved to skewer pretensions and upper-class affectations

"I’ve heard of your accomplishments with Consolidated Locoreat deal of interest in New York regarding yourmethods"