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Gideon Shaw continued to eat calmly, as if oblivious to the upheaval he had caused As he reached for a goblet of water, however, he shot a quick glance at Livia, whose lips twitched with a s you from time to time, Mr Shaw," Aline murmured

The handsome A enigmatic "It would be my pleasure as well, my lady However, I fear that I will be co while"

"I see," Aline said softly, while understanding dawned She deliberately picked up her oater glass and lifted it in a silently encouraging toast, and he responded with a nod of thanks

Aline was not such a coward that she could hide in her rooh the idea was not without its appeal His quiet words of yesterday had annihilated her She kne inexplicable her rejection had been, leaving hi for hi was unbearable…but she felt that she should at least have the courage to tell hioodbye

The entrance hall and the courtyard outside were filled with servants and departing guests A row of carriages lined the drive, being loaded with bags and boxes and trunks Aline and Marcuswith guests to their carriages Livia was nowhere in sight, leading Aline to suspect that she was oodbyes to Gideon Shaw in private

Fro a brief conversation this athered that the pair had decided not to see each other for a period of several months, to allo the ti habit They had, however, agreed to correspond during their separation, which meant that their courtship would continue by means of ink and paper Aline had smiled with sympathetic amuseot it backward," she said "Usually a ro letters, and then eventually leads to greater intian in bed and ended with correspondence," Livia finished dryly "Well, none of us Marsdens sees the usual way, do we?"

"No, indeed" Aline was glad that she and her younger sister see to see what beco for such a long period"

"I’ forward to it, in a way," Livia reflected "It will be easier to discern s for Mr Shahen the communication is entirely between our minds and hearts, with all the physical aspects rerinned and blushed as she adh I will azed at a distant point outside a nearby hile daylight stole over the grounds Her sht of how much she too would miss the joys to be found in a ht," she said "I have high hopes for you and Mr Shaw"

"What about you and McKenna? Is there any reason to hope for the both of you?" As Livia saw Aline’s expression, she frowned "Never mind--I shouldn’t have asked I have pro more on the subject, and from now on I will hold ht back to the present as she stepped outside and noticed that one of the foot a e Despite his brawny build, the weight of the brass-bound trunk was getting the better of hi to topple Peter backward

Two of the guests, Mr Cuyler and Mr Chamberlain, noticed the footman’s dilemma, but it did not seem to occur to either of them to offer assistance Theytheir conversation while they observed Peter’s struggles Aline glanced quickly around the scene, looking for another servant to help the footman Before she could say a word to anyone, McKenna see to the back of the carriage and wedging his shoulder against the trunk The ainst the seams of his coat as he shoved the trunk into its proper place, holding it steady while Peter clambered up to fasten a leather strap around it

Cuyler and Chaht, as if it e a servant with a menial task The very fact of McKenna’s superior physical strength see that he had once labored at tasks that no gentleman should ever have done Finally the trunk was secured, and McKenna stepped back, acknowledging the foot him, Aline could not help but reflect that had McKenna never left Stony Cross, he al as a footman And that wouldn’t have mattered to her in the least She would have loved him no matter where he went, or what he did, and it toraze, McKenna glanced up, then iaze His jaw hardened, and he stood there in silent conte at her once h her…so wintry and withdrawn…and she realized that his feelings for her were transfor into a hostility that was proportionate to how ht bleakly, if he didn’t already

McKenna squared his shoulders and caether in brittle silence, while small clusters of people chatted and shifted around thes Aline had ever done in her life was to lift her chin and stare into his eyes The exotic blue-green irises were nearly obliterated by the dark black of his pupils He looked pale beneath his healthy tan, and his usual vitality had been crushed beneath an air of absolute griaze "I wish you well, McKenna," she finally whispered

He was very still "I wish the sa down on her until she nearly swayed beneath its weight "I hope you will have a safe and pleasant crossing"

"Thank you"

Clumsily Aline offered her hand to hiers treht it and brought her fingers to his lips The touch of his ainst her skin "Goodbye," he murmured

Aline’s throat closed, and she stood silent and shivering, her hand suspended in the air after he released it Closing her fingers slowly, she brought her fist against her aze on her as she left As she began to ascend the short flight of steps that led to the entrance hall, the thick scar tissue pulled at the back of her knee, a persistent, annoying burn that brought tears of rage to her eyes

Nineteen

After the last guest had departed, Aline changed into a co roo up in the corner of a deeply upholstered settee, she sat and stared at nothing for what seemed to be hours Despite the warers and toes icy At her request, apot of tea, but nothing could take the chill away

She heard the sounds of roo cleaned; servants’ footsteps on the stairs, therestored to order now that the house was finally cleared of visitors There were things that she should be doing; taking household inventory, consulting with Mrs Faircloth about which rooms should be closed and what items were needed from market However, Aline could not seem to rouse herself from the stupor that had settled over her She felt like a clock with a daed mechanism, frozen and useless

She dozed on the settee until the fire burned low and the shafts of sunlight that calow of sunset A quiet sound awakened her, and she stirred reluctantly Opening her bleary eyes, she saw that Marcus had co at her as if she were a puzzle that he was uncertain how to solve

"What do you want?" she asked with a frown Struggling to a sitting position, she rubbed her eyes

Marcus lit a lamp and approached the settee "Mrs Faircloth tells me that you haven’t eaten all day"

Aline shook her head "I’ later"

Her brother stood over her with a frown "You look like hell"

"Thank you," she said dryly "As I said, I am tired I need to sleep, that is all--"

"You seem to have slept ood"