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"No…but I saw his face when I mentioned your na, "You didn’t tell him--"

"I would never betray your secret," the housekeeper assured her

Discreetly Aline took Mrs Faircloth’s warm, work-coarsened hand in her own soft, cold one She was coers entwined tightly "He must never know," she whispered "I couldn’t bear it"

Aline found Marcus and Livia together in the fa room, a private place where they occasionally ency This appeared to be one of thelanced at her brother’s dark, concerned face, and her sister’s tense one "There is no reason to look as if you expect h the ," she told them "I assure you, I am perfectly calm I have seen McKenna, we spoke quite cordially, and we both agreed that the past is completely irrelevant"

Marcus came forward and took her shoulders in his broad, square hands "The past is never irrelevant," he said in his distinctively gravelly voice "And now, circuain"

Aline tried to reassure hi left of the feelings I once had for hiirl And I a for aze hard

"To conduct business with Mr Shaw, of course And to discuss your investe to conceal McKenna’s true purpose"

"Which would be…what?"

"To finally make a conquest of you"

"Really, Marcus, do you kno ridiculous that sounds?"

"I’m a sportsame forback frolance "I should have known you’d reduce it to that Life is about more than pursuit and conquest, Marcus"

"For a woave Livia a er sister complied immediately "If Aline says that she is not troubled by McKenna’s presence, then I think we shouldn’t take exception to it either"

Marcus’s expression did not soften "I’ hiossip that would cause?" Aline asked i for my opinion, if you’ve already decided what to do? Just leave it be, will you? I want him to stay"

She was surprised by the way that her brother and sister both looked at her, as if she had spoken in a foreign language "What is it?" she asked warily

"Just now, I saw soe"

Aline responded with a wry laugh "What are you i, Marcus? That I’ve become timid and spineless?"

"Withdrawn is more like it," he retorted "You refuse to accept the attentions of anywill ever come of that" As Aline spluttered in protest, Marcus turned his attention to Livia "And you’re no better than Aline," he said flatly "It’s been two years since Arave with hiain Good God, you’re the two prettiest wooing to be saddled with the both of you until I’lare, while Aline suddenly snickered at the ier She went to kiss hiant meddler Just be thankful that I’m not of a mind to lecture you on your faults, my dear, unmarried thirty-four-year-old brother, whose sole purpose in this life should be to produce an heir for the title--"

"Enough," he groaned "I’ve heard that a thousand times frolanced triued a wan smile "Very well, I’ll desist for now, if you’ll proard to McKenna"

Marcus nodded and gruaze, Aline sa Marcus’s reht about one thing," she said "You should begin to ain"

"In the co to fall in love again someday, Livia You’ll marry some wonderful man, and bear his children, and have the life that Amberley would wish for you"

"What about you?"

Aline’s ser possible for h burst froreed softly "But there you have it--sohtly around herself, Livia frowned at the carpeted floor "Aline, there is so I’ve never said to you--I’ve always been too ashamed But now that McKenna has returned, and the past is so er"

"No, Livia," Aline said gently, sensing what her younger sister was about to say

A sudden tear slid to the delicate curve of Livia’s chin "I was the one who told Father about seeing you and McKenna together in the stables, all those years ago You’ve suspected it, of course, but you’ve never asked I wish I had kept silent I’ for you"

"It wasn’t your fault," Aline exclai her "How could I blame you for that? You were just a child, and…no, don’t cry! It doesn’tcould ever have come of my relationship with McKenna There was no place that we could have gone, nothing that could have been done, that would have allowed us to be together"

"I’ noise, Aline patted her slender back " ‘Only a fool argues with his fate’…that’s what Father always said, remember?"

"Yes, and it always hter rose in Aline’s throat "Perhaps you’re right McKenna has certainly defied his own fate, hasn’t he?"

Pulling a handkerchief from her sleeve, Livia drew back and blew her nose "The servants are talking," she said, her voice muffled in the wad of crumpled cotton "Apparently Mr Chamberlain’s butler told James the footman--who told one of the house’ McKenna in New York, and he has a huge mansion on Fifth Avenue, and he is known by everyone on Wall Street"