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"I’m afraid I will have to withhold my support of theof the particulars Is there anything more you can tell me?"

Swift shook his head "I’ive you my word that I will not betray your confidence?"

"No," Shispered "Again, I’hed heavily and leaned back in his chair "Unfortunately I can’t solve or even ate a problem when I have no idea what the bloody problem is On the other hand, I believe people deserve second chances And I would be willing to judge asaid…I will have your word on so"

Swift looked up, his blue eyes wary "Yes,before you marry her You will lay out the issues in full, and let her decide whether she wants to proceed You will not take her as your ithout giving her the complete and unvarnished truth"

Swift didn’t blink "You have naled the taverner than ale

CHAPTER 14

With Westcliff and Mattheift away in Bristol, the estate seemed abnormally quiet To Lillian and Daisy’s relief, Westcliff had arranged for their parents to acco family on a jaunt to Stratford-on-Avon They would attend a week of banquets, plays, lectures, and htieth birthday festival Just how Westcliff hadwas a mystery to Daisy

"Mother and Father couldn’t be less interested in the Bard," Daisyher parents had departed "And I can’t believe Father would have opted to go to a festival instead of Bristol"

"Westcliff had no intention of letting Father go with therin

"Why not? It’s Father’s business, after all"

"Yes, but when it cootiations, Father is too crass for British tastes--he reeed the trip to Stratford with such expediency that Father didn’t have a chance to object And after Westcliff oh-so-casually infor elboith at the festival, Father didn’t have a prayer"

"I iine Westcliff and Mr Sill do well in Bristol," Daisy said

Lillian’s expression iuarded "No doubt they will"

Daisy noticed that without their friends as a buffer, she and Lillian had fallen into an excessively carefulShe didn’t like it They had always been so free and open with each other But suddenly it seeed to avoid certain subjects as if they were trying to ignore an elephant in the room An entire herd of elephants, actually

Lillian had not asked if Daisy had slept with Matthew In fact, Lillian seemed disinclined to talk about Matthew at all Nor did she ask why Daisy’s budding relationship with Lord Llandrindon had evaporated, or why Daisy had no apparent interest in going to London to finish the season

Daisy had no desire to broach any of these subjects either Despite Matthew’s reassurances before he had left, she felt uneasy and restless, and the last thing she wanted was to have an argument with her sister

Instead they focused on Merritt, taking turns holding, dressing, and bathing her as if she were a little doll Although there were two nursery maids available to care for the infant, Lillian had been reluctant to give her over to the with the infant

Before Mercedes had left, she had warned that the baby would beco held "You’ll spoil her," she had told Lillian, "and then no one will ever be able to put her down"

Lillian had retorted that there was no shortage of arms at Stony Cross Manor, and Merritt would be held as often as she liked

"I intend for her childhood to be different from ours," Lillian told Daisy later, while they pushed the baby in a peraarden "The fewMother dress for evenings out or going to Father’s study to confess our latestpunished"

"Do you remember," Daisy asked with a smile, "how Mother used to scream e roller-skated on the pavement and knocked people over?"

Lillian chuckled "Except when it was the Astors, and then it was all right"

"Or when the twins planted a little garden and we pulled up all the potatoes before they were ripe?"

"Crabbing and fishing on Long Island…"

"Playing rounders…"

The afternoon of "relow "Who would have ever thought," Daisy said with a grin, "that you would end up married to a British peer, and that I would be…" She hesitated "…a spinster"

"Don’t be silly," Lillian said quietly "It’s obvious you’re not going to be a spinster"

That was the closest they ca Daisy’s relationship with Mattheift However, in pondering Lillian’s unusual restraint, Daisy realized that her sister wanted to avoid a rift with her And if thatto include Mattheift in the fa how difficult it was for her sister to hold back her opinions, Daisy longed to throw her arms around her Instead, she moved to take the handles of the perambulator

"My turn to push," Daisy said

They continued to walk

Daisy resu the canoe on the pond?"

"With the governess in it," Lillian added, and they grinned at each other