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Win stopped and waited, saze swept over her, notsaque jacket

"You’re dressed now," Merripen re naed through the lobby

"This is a walking dress," she said "As you can see, I’ you?" he asked, even though he could see the foot a few feet away "Charles," she replied

"Only Charles?" Merripen looked outraged "You needto Marble Arch," she said, amused

"Are you out of your mind, woman? Do you have any idea what could happen to you at Hyde Park? There are pickpockets, cutpurses, confidence tricksters, and gangs, all ready for a nice little pigeon like you to pluck"

Rather than take offense, Charles said eagerly, "Perhaps Mr Merripen has a point Miss Hathaway It is rather far… and one never knows…"

"Are you offering to go in his stead?" Win asked Merripen

As she had expected, he put on a show of gru reluctance "I suppose so, if the alternative is to see you traipsing through the streets of London and teht" He frowned at Charles "You needn’t go with us I’d rather not have to look after you, too"

"Yes, sir," carateful reply, and he went back up the stairs with considerablytheh Merripen’s ar had upset hi far more than her exercise costume or the prospective walk to Hyde Park

They left the hotel, Merripen’s long strides easily keeping measure with her brisk ones Win kept her tone casual and cheerful "How cool and bracing the air is today"

"It’s polluted with coal sht cause et her feet wet

"Actually, I detect a strong scent of smoke from your coat Not tobacco s?"

"To a Romany camp"

"For what reason?" Win persisted With Merripen, one could not be easily be put off by terseness, or one would never get anything out of hiht find someone there fro the subject was a sensitive one

A restless shift of the muscle beneath her hand "No"

"Yes, you did I can tell you’re brooding"

Merripen glanced down at her, and sa closely she was studying hiirl nairl he had known and never mentioned Perhaps he had cared for her

"We found her today in the camp," Merripen continued "She hardly looks the same She was once very beautiful, but now she appears much older than her years"

"Oh, that’s too bad," Win said, trying to sound sincere

"Her husband, the rooodthe condition Merripen had been in when Win had first e that it was clear he had lived like a wild creature

Win was filled with compassion and tenderness She wished they were in some private place where she could coax Merripen to tell her everything She wished she could e friend No doubt many people would think it ludicrous that she should feel so protective of such an invulnerable-see man But beneath that hard and i She knew that about him She also knew that he would deny it to the death

"Did Mr Rohan tell Shuri about his tattoo?" Win asked "That it was identical to yours?"

"Yes"

"And what did Shuri say about it?"

"Nothing" His reply was a shade too quick

A pair of street sellers, one bearing bundles of watercress, the other carrying ulower fro the traffic of carriages, carts, and horses to go to the other side of the street

Win didn’t say anything for a uided her along with exasperating bossiness, , "Don’t step there," or, "Co on broken or uneven paveht result in severe injury

"Kev," she finally protested, "I’ile"

"I know that"

"Then please don’t treat ruood enough for her It was too rough Too dirty

Win couldn’t help chuckling "For heaven’s sake If this street was paved with gold and angels were sweeping it, you would still say it was too rough and dirty forhis arh, simple words filled her with an almost indecent pleasure So easily, he could reach down to the deepest region of her heart

"I’d rather not be put on a pedestal," she finally said

"You’re not on a pedestal You’re-" But he checked the words, and he shook his head a little, as if he was vaguely surprised he’d said them Whatever had happened that day, it had shaken his self-control badly

Win pondered what possible things Shuriabout the connection between Ca hio more slowly as well "Even before I left for France, I had the idea that those tattoos were evidence of a close link between you and Mr Rohan Being so ill, I had little to do except observe the people in s that no one else had the time to perceive, or think about And I’ve always been especially attuned to you" Taking in his expression with a quick sidelong glance, Win saw that he didn’t like that He didn’t want to be understood, or observed He wanted to stay safe in his iron-clad solitude

"And when I met Mr Rohan," Win continued in a casual tone, as if they were having an ordinary conversation, "I was struck by many similarities between the two of you The tilt of his head, that half ss I had seen you do And I thought to myself, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn someday that the two of them are… brothers"

Merripen stopped coht there on the street while other pedestrians were forced to go around the about how inconsiderate it was for people to block a public footpath Win looked up into his heathen dark eyes and gave an innocent shrug And she waited for his response

"Is happen all the time," Win said "Especially to our fa him "It’s true, isn’t it?" she asked in wonder "He’s your brother?"

Kev hesitated His whisper was so soft she could barely hear it "Younger brother"

"I’lad for you For both of you" She smiled up at hi curve

"I’m not"

"Soh his and they began walking again

"If you and Mr Rohan are brothers," Win said, "then you’re half gadjo Just like he is Are you sorry about that?"

"No, I-" He paused to mull over the discovery "I wasn’t as surprised as I should have been I’ve always felt I was Ro other"

And Win understood what he didn’t say Unlike Rohan, he wasn’t eager to face this entire other identity, this vast part of hi to talk about it with the fa Merripen, he would want to keep the inforh all its implications

He shook his head "There are questions that adjo who fathered us wanted to kill us"

"He did? Good heavens, why?"

"My guess is that it was probably soadjos, it usually cohtly to his arm

"I have reason"