He laughed. "What do you think you want to do?"

"I want to spend the entire day with you. I want to go somewhere and run in a meadow and get ruddy cheeks and play like a child." She jumped up and tugged on his hand. "Let us go down to Laclere Park. We can forget all of this trouble for a few days."

He tugged back and she fell into his lap. "I cannot go to Laclere Park. There is something I must do late today. We can go to Hampstead, however. The chevalier's property has a meadow and a woods. Would that be good enough?"

She hooked her arm around his neck and pecked a kiss on his nose. "Anyplace is good enough, Julian,

now that I know we can be together."

The Chevalier Corbet welcomed them. He fed them a simple meal, chatted amiably, then quietly vacated the premises.

Once she and Julian were alone, Pen strolled into the large hall where Laclere and his friends had

practiced their dueling skills since back when they were in university.

"I have no trouble picturing you all here," she said as she examined the sabres hung on the wall. "After all, I once saw it."

"That was very naughty of you."

"It was, wasn't it. I did not expect to be discovered." She laughed at the memory. "Oh, how Laclere scolded. He was not much more than a boy, and he purred up with authority like a parent. Thank God Bianca saved him, that is all I can say."

The empty chamber echoed with their steps. She saw the young men of the Dueling Society as she had that day, their sabres clashing, their naked torsos gleaming with the sweat of their exercise.

Most of them hurried to put on shirts when they realized she and Diane were watching. One of them

gave her a mesmerizing, seductive smile as he did so. Not Julian. Witherby's ghost suddenly stood beside her, exuding the charm that had made him so attractive. His memory no longer made her sad. She looked back on that episode now with astonishing indifference.

She glanced at Julian and guessed that he was reading her thoughts. "I do not mourn him any longer, Julian." "I am glad." "My only regret is that I suppose I regret that it was not you back then. I wish that you had been the one to pursue me, and not him." "Would you have noticed if I had?" "I do not know. Perhaps not. I may have been too young to understand. Too young to appreciate you. I am a little nostalgic, however. And jealous, for no reason. I suppose that I wish you had wanted me back then, and thought of me that way."

"Actually, I did think of you that way back then."

She laughed. "Well, perhaps you did on occasion. As you told me, men have a habit of thinking of women that way in any case." She grabbed his hand and dragged him to the doorway. "Now, let us go out to the meadow while the sun is still high."

It was a perfect day, the best in her life, full of laughter and games and shining with the bright future she

envisioned. Her shoes got muddy and her gown soiled as they played some of the games of their childhood. They enjoyed long kisses and caresses between adventures, and twice made love in the dry grass, oblivious to the chill in the air and ground.

When the sun started fading, they rode back to London in Julian's carriage.

"We look dreadful," Pen said, picking a burr off her ruined skirt. She brushed at some grass on Julian's

shoulder.

"I would not trade the day for the cleanest garments in the world," he said.

"Nor would I.I wish we had some wine. I would toast to many more days like this."

The city was dark when they arrived back at Laclere's house. Julian helped Pen down from the curricle.

"Julian, that carriage there looks familiar." She gestured to a carriage nearby. "Isn't that the one that

stopped us on our way to Laclere Park? The police must have come to speak with me today, after all.

Why would they wait if I was not here?" Julian looked to the house, then the police carriage, and finally at her. "When we go inside, I want you to immediately retire to your bedroom, darling."

The day's joy disappeared in a snap. The last week's fears returned like a cold wave had broken against her heart. "Julian, did you lie to me this morning when you said I was safe? Did you just want me to have a last day of freedom, without fear?"

He took her face in his hands and looked down at her. "I did not lie. Now, go to your bedroom.

Promise me that you will remember what I said in the garden: My love is with you even if I am not."

"Why would you not be with me? First you say they have not come for me, then you say"

"They are not here for you, Pen. They are waiting for me."

Chapter Twenty-four.

She did it the way Julian asked. She retired at once to her bedroom.

Then she ran to another chamber that looked down on the street.

For a horrible half hour she waited.

Light spilled into the darkness as the door below opened. Julian walked over to the police carriage,

accompanied by two men. They got in and the carriage rolled away.

She saw nothing after that except an ocean of tears. She cried so hard it hurt. She sank to the floor. Holding herself, gasping for breath, she succumbed to all the dread she had been holding in during the last ten days.

The presence of another person broke through her misery. She looked up and saw Vergil standing ten feet from her, holding a lamp. He put it on a table and came over and sat on the floor with her. His embrace only made her cry harder.

Finally the worst passed, but only because she was exhausted. The return of composure did not make her truly calm.

"You knew," she whispered into his shoulder.

"Yes."

"You let him take me away today and pretend all was well, and you knew what would be waiting when we returned."

"It was how he wanted to do it."

"He acted so happy with me. I never guessed. Not for an instant."

"Perhaps because he truly was happy with you."

She inhaled deeply and wiped her eyes. She eased away so she could see her brother's face.

"You must not allow him to do this. You must go and tell him that I won't have it."

Vergil stretched out his legs and rested his back against the wall. "I think it is out of our hands now, Pen."

"He did something to let them think it was he in order to spare me. He is just trying to protect me."

"If so, he will not listen to my pleas that he not do it. Nor will I make such a plea."

She couldn't believe her ears. "Are you saying that you condone such a lie?"

"You are my sister. I will condone anything that saves you, I expect."

"Even the conviction of an innocent man? Your friend, at that?"

He did not answer. Nor did his eyes meet hers. He appeared terribly beleaguered.

"Vergil, we do agree that this is an elaborate deception on his part, don't we? You do agree that Julian is innocent, don't you?"

To her astonishment, he did not reply at once. He actually appeared to be weighing the evidence.

"He refused to tell me that he is innocent, Pen. I asked, and all I got was his damned silence. But, yes, I do believe he is. Not because he is my friend, nor because I think he is too good. In truth, I have concluded that if he believed you were in danger he would not hesitate to kill." "I trust you did not give such a strange testimonial of his character to the police." "Pen, he was hoping there would be a duel. Whatever reason he gave you for returning to London, that was how he really expected this all to end. He counted on your affair to force Glasbury into a challenge."

A duel. A furious rebellion swelled in her. Her mind started forming a scathing response to her brother's accusation.

But memories came to her, of Julian promising protection. Even that first night in his library he had sworn

Glasbury would never force her to return. I will do whatever is necessary. How often had he made that promise with such firm confidence?

She had always assumed he was just reassuring her.

"Vergil, if you think he is capable of this, why do you believe he did not do it?"

"It was poison. Julian would never use such a sly and cowardly method. If he had killed Glasbury, he would have thrust a sword into the scoundrel's heart."

"You do not intend to help me at all, do you?"

Knightridge posed the question with considerable irritation as he paced around the cell.

Not that it permitted decent pacing. It was a tiny, damp chamber, but Julian knew it was one of

Newgate's best. His friends had bribed the warden to ensure the new inmate received the best treatment the prison could afford, such as it was. His status as a gentleman's son and a solicitor had gotten him a bit of deference as well.

"This is the trouble with men like you," Knightridge snapped. "When you finally fall in love you suddenly become stupid. I am personally insulted that you had so little confidence in me that you thought up this ridiculouswhat statements did you make to the coroner's jury?"

"I said almost nothing. I could not deny that I was not home that night. I admitted I could not prove my movements in the city. I refused to answer questions regarding my relationship with the countess" "Lot of good that will do, man. The whole country knows about that." "All the same, as a gentleman I refused to discuss it." "Did you at least deny that you killed him, damn it?"

"Of course. Doesn't everyone deny it?" "Don't get flippant with me, Hampton. Jesus." Knightridge stared at the floor. "Fine. Let me make sure I understand. Your movements are suspect, and you cannot prove you were not at Glasbury's. You have been having a very indiscreet affair with the countess, but the earl had made no moves toward the divorce you hoped for. Worse, he initiated a petition for restoration of his conjugal rights. He threatened to interfere with a project in which you are invested, and you are the partner least likely to survive the financial blow if he succeeded. There was a public argument that evening and you had to be restrained and announced you would have satisfaction."

The litany left Knightridge scowling more deeply and shaking his head with dismay.

"They also have some papers of mine, it appears."

"Papers?"

Julian described them. "In a few, while in deep melancholies, I fantasized about killing Glasbury."

"Wonderful." Knightridge paced some more. "I intend to find out how they came into possession of your papers. That may lead somewhere."