Authors: Gloria Harchar
Her cousin puffed out his chest.
"
Pardon me, but I don
'
t see any harm in making amends with him.
After all, you're the one who's going wed him by the end of the week. He'll be family. Isn't this what you want—for your future husband to be one of my best friends? Or is there something else going on that I don't understand?
"
Wh
at was happening? How could Ramsey
change so much in so short a time? Suddenly, she wasn
'
t certain of her position in life—of her purpose.
"I—I'm just surprised, that's all."
"
I fre
ely admit I was wrong about him.
"
He frowned, his newfound confidence wavering.
"
From the very start you always defended him.
Why didn't you tell me you were forming an attachment to him?
"
She opened her mouth to deny it, but froze when she saw his hurt frown.
The corners of his mouth drooped.
"
You probably wanted to, but I never gave you a chance
, disparaging him from the start
.
But I turned a corner, I think, over these last few days. Now I'm
mature eno
ugh to realize I made a mistake.
You
'
ve always badgered me about becoming a man, to show responsibility
, and your words have finally hit home
.
Cogs
, I never
should have wrecked his loom like that—and I
'
ve already apologized to him. See? I
'
ve turned over a new leaf, so to speak. You don
'
t have to lecture me about my reckless ways anymore. In fact, the day after your wedding, I plan to leave for Oxford and really delve into my studies of law.
"
Clearly
Falcon
had exerted a profound influence. Had he missed having an older brother? Was there some need she hadn
'
t anticipated? Hadn
'
t she been enough? She couldn
'
t worry about it at the moment—no, she couldn
'
t wallow in her own self-doubt, just as she couldn
'
t burst the fragile bubble of confidence she saw in his
eyes
. She gave him a fierce hug.
"
I
'
m glad, Ramsey—and I
'
m very proud of you.
"
With a timid smile
, he returned the embrace, then glanced toward
Falcon
who was openly observing them. Awkwardly, Ramsey held her at arm
'
s length, the withdrawal as potent as a douse of winter rain.
"
Thank you. Now, don
'
t y
ou think you should invite Malcolm
to rejoin us?
"
Malcolm. Ramsey even called him by his familiar name
, something to which she had yet to succumb
.
Her cousin raised his hand to beckon her fiancé-by-force.
When her nemesis had sauntered back, Ramsey cuffed him on the shoulder as if they had known each other for
ye
ars.
"
We
'
ve settled a little private family matter—no great deal. Do you want to go another round? I want to try a different technique.
"
Off-center
came to mind to describe how she felt.
How had things become so tangled? She didn
'
t know, but she
did
know she couldn
'
t bear to see the two of them sparring again
,
like comrades from school.
"
There will be no
more fighting
while I'm here
.
"
"
Ah,
"
Ramsey said with a shrug.
"
Then I
'
m going to take the easy way out. I
'
ll leave
fiancé
to deal with you.
"
He turned and headed off toward the stables.
"
Jealous?
"
Falcon
murmured.
W
ith a start, she wondered if he'd hit the nail on the head
. Did she begrudge the camaraderie that had developed between them? The idea didn
'
t set well with her because she didn
'
t want to believe she was so petty. But
she sensed that Falcon somehow
...
enjoyed
the attention Ramsey gave him. Had Falcon missed companionship with his brother? A sudden memory of a young
Malcolm
with the slightly older William as they raced across the meadow flashed through her mind.
Malcolm
'
s black hair had gleamed in the sun, matching his Arabian
'
s dark coat, while William
'
s fairness matched the cream color of the Palomino he rode. Both brothers were totally different,
yet
their jibing and affection could be heard even where she
'
d stood in the woods. Another time she
'
d chanced upon them, they had been wrestling near the bank of the Nene, and when William had ended the tussle by dunking his brother, they had both laughed boisterously. With Ramsey, did
Malcolm
sense a friendship that might fill the dark hole left inside of him by William
'
s death? Her
eyes
stung with emotion as she considered the possibility. Who was she to begrudge his friendship with
her cousin
?
With a smug smile,
Malcolm
crossed his arms.
"
The noose is getting tighter,
Nicola
, with your loved ones approving of me. You will have no choice but to include me in your circle.
"
"
Do you want me to love you as a wife
should
love her husband?"
For a moment he stared, and she thought she saw
yearning
in the dark depths of his
eyes before
he shuddered.
"
N
o. Don
'
t ever mistake my true reason for marrying you—that way you won
'
t be hurt.
"
Angry at herself for thinking even for a moment that he could be sincere, she gritted her teeth against the surge of disappointment.
"
I don
'
t worry about myself as much as I do Ramsey.
You worked your machinations on him.
He
'
s like clay in your hands, and I
'
ll not see him crushed by your indifference.
"
His mouth tightened.
"
Don
'
t worry—he
'
ll be at Oxford, away from me.
"
She shook her head, marveling.
"
How do you manipulate people so effectively?
"
"
It
'
s all a matter of understanding a person
'
s utmost desires.
"
"
And you use those against them?
"
"
When it proves beneficial to me.
"
He gave her an enigmatic and surprisingly gentle smile.
His response reminded her of their upcoming marriage and stirred
sadness
deep inside. It took little effort to imagine the coming sunset of her freedom, and she mourned her dreams as they slipped behind the distant horizon. The chance for true love slipped away, too. She would be forced to spend her life with a man who didn
'
t want her, a man who was determined to abandon her in the country.
"
Glissando
...
Glissando
,
"
Nicola
called.
Unsure whether she was asleep or awake, or whether or not she
'
d actually said his name, she snuggled deeper into her silken bedclothes. She was vaguely aware of having a strange dream about a place in the clouds where she sat on the silvery haze and gazed at the British Isles, a vast panorama in relief. London seemed a hawk
'
s flight away, as was Nottinghamshire. England appeared no bigger than her slipper.
A round shape floated over London. Squinting, she tried to see the object better. It was
Glissando
in his
hot-air
balloon
. He hovered over Astley
'
s Circus. A woman high in the air hung from a rope between her teeth, twirling so fast that she was a blur.
Glissando
clapped, lau
ghing wildly as h
e tipped the mouth of a jug
against his lips
. The strong urge to talk to him caused her to cry out across the foggy distance.