Mistress

A moment later the library door opened.

"Mr. Be

"Good heavens," Iphiginia muttered. "Marcus's brother. I wonder what he wants. You'd better send him in, Mrs. Shaw."

Be

"Come in, Mr. Cloud." Amelia gave him a reassuring smile. "This is my cousin, Miss Farley."

"A pleasure, Miss Farley." Be

Amelia stirred. "Perhaps you would prefer to in private."

"If-if you don't mind," Be

"Of course." Amelia walked out of the library closed the door quietly behind her.

Iphiginia folded her hands on top of her d "Won't you have a scat, Mr. Cloud?"

"What? Uh, no. No, thank you." Be

Iphiginia sighed. "Allow me to make it easier for as you no doubt wish to give me a long lecture consisting of all the many and varied reasons why I should not marry your brother. Rest assured, Mr. Cloud, that I am also aware of all those reasons."

"No."

Iphiginia blinked in surprise. "I beg your pardon Be

"You do?"

Be

Iphiginia stared at him with sudden concern. you feeling well, Mr. Cloud? My housekeeper will bringing tea any moment now. Perhaps a cup will tea revive you.

"Damnation, I do not need any tea. You must marry any brother, Mrs. Bright."

Iphiginia eyed him warily. Why?

"Because I believe that he needs you." "He needs me?"

"Devil take it, how can I explain?" Be

"Obviously."

"But I have never fully understood him. Perhaps I never tried to understand him. He didn't seem to require understanding, if you see what I mean."

"No, I do not."

"He was always there." Be

"Being strong does not mean that one doesn't need a bit of understanding from others now and then," Iphiginia said gently.

"I have recently begun to comprehend that." Be

"Masters told you this?"

"In a ma

"In the same way that you want Juliana Dorchester?" "Good Lord, no, of course not." Be

"The feelings that I bear for Miss Dorchester are really quite extraordinary. I am in love with her, Mrs. Bright. And she is in love with me."

"I see."

Be

"How nice for you."

"There is a noble grandeur to our love that leaves me floundering for words."

"I had not noticed."

"She engenders within my breast the most elevated of passions."

"Quite understandable."

"Frankly," Be

"Your feelings are, indeed, extraordinary. You do not believe your brother capable of such emotions?"

"If he was ever capable of the more delicate and exalted emotions, his experience of marriage destroyed ad such inclinations within him." Be

"Yes." Iphiginia propped her chin on her hand. "Forgive me, sir, but your change of heart on the subject of your brother's marriage has left me somewhat confused."

"It is important that you marry him, Mrs. Bright. Please believe me. I would not he here today if I did not think that it was a necessity. I think it should he a quiet wedding. Special license, preferably. You will not want a formal engagement of the sort that Miss Dorchester and I intend to have."

"You've asked Miss Dorchester for her hand?" "I've spoken to her about it. I'm pleased to say that we have agreed to a

"Yes, of course." Marcus would be relieved, Iphiginia thought. He had at least bought some time for Be

"She was willing to elope with me," Be

"I believe she does. I have met her, you know." "Have you?7

"Yes. And I found her quite charming." Miss Dorchester really was a nice young lady, Iphiginia thought, even if her parents were a trifle over ambitious.

Be

Marcus would require some convincing of that fact, but Iphiginia had a bunch that all would he well between Be

"Our situation is quite different from your own, however," Be

"True."

Be

"I appreciate your concern, Mr. Cloud. However-" Iphiginia broke off frowning at the sound of another carriage halting in the street. "More visitors?"

The knock on the front door was followed by the sound of familiar voices in the front hall.

"Good grief," Iphiginia whispered. "Corina and Richard. And Aunt Zoe and Lord Otis What is going on here? Pray excuse me, Mr. Cloud."

She leaped to her feet, dashed across the room, and flung open the library door before Mrs. Shaw could a

"Iphiginia," Zoe exclaimed. "You will never guess who has just arrived in Town,"

Corina, dressed in a charming blue gown that nicely complemented her golden hair and blue eyes, turned toward Iphiginia with an expression of grave concern on her lovely face.

"Iphiginia. Are you all right? What is going on?" "Good afternoon, Corina. Richard."

Richard Hampton, his handsome features set in lines of WOMY inclined his head. "Good afternoon, Iphiginia. We set out for London the moment we received the message.

"What message?"

Corina shuddered. "The strange one that said you had become the… Well, never mind. It is too dreadful to repeat. I knew it could not he true, of course. But I had to find out what was going on. We arrived an hour ago." "And came straight to my house." Zoe gave Iphiginia