That was impossible. Wasnat it? He couldnat really be asleep. Could he?

Meg sat up and, other than the steady rise and fall of his chest, he didnat move.

She leaned forward, toward him, over him, watching his face for any little sign that he was faking it.

I didnat forget you. Not for one minute.

Johnas words had made her want to weep. She wasnat sure which was worsea"thinking that he wasnat telling the truth, or thinking that he was.

He was asleep on his back, one hand on his chest, the other tucked under his head. Head already gone into deep REM sleepa"she could see his eyes moving beneath his lids. She didnat think there was any way he couldave faked that.

The car keys were right there, in his front right pocket.

All she had to do was carefully reach in and take the keys. And drive away without him.

She had to do it. For his sake as well as hers.

But mostly for hers.

She leaned closer. For Amy and Eveas sake, for her own sake, for Johnas sake, she had to get those keys.

Amy was sleeping again.

Even the Bear was dozing. Everyone in the house was taking a siesta in the thick afternoon heat.

Everyone but Eve.

She couldnat sleep. Not after telling Amy about her wedding to Ralph. The memories were too strong.

Shead told the girl only some of ita"how nervous shead been standing there in the church in Ramsgate. How handsome Ralph had looked.

How angry head beena"later.

But she hadnat told Amy everything. There were some parts shead never share with another soul.

Such as the look in Ralphas eyes as she met him at the front of the church.

She was wearing the closest thing to a white dress that she hada"her off-white suit that was designed to look demure even while it clung to her every curve.

She wasnat sure if this marriage would be legal, if, as a fifteen-year-old, she was even allowed to sign her name on that document without her guardianas permission. Ralph would probably know something like that.

Shead slept badly the night before, tossing and turning, trying to decide whether or not she should tell Ralph the truth. And then the decision was taken from her. She didnat have the opportunity. She hadnat seen hima"not until it was too late, with the minister standing nearby, ready to perform the wedding.

It was supposed to be the most casual of ceremonies. Theyad do it all over again with his parents and Nick in attendance, in a few months, when Ralph got leave from the army.

Still, head dressed in his best suit for the occasion, as had she.

No, she would never forget the way Ralph looked at her, with such hungry love in his eyes.

It was terrifying. And exhilarating. He loved her. She knew that without a doubt.

And she was sure at that moment that she would simply never tell him. Shead smudge her date of birth as she signed the marriage papers. From this moment on, shead be twenty years old. She was twenty years old.

But she still felt only fifteen inside.

aYou look so beautiful,a he murmured as he took her hand.

aSo do you.a Shoot. Go away, mother, I donat need you anymore. Eve was going to marry Ralph, and he was going to love her for the rest of her life. She would make sure of that. From now on, she didnat need to be a smartass. She wouldnat need to be outrageous, or to flirt with that same edge of desperation that had laced her motheras every word, inaudible to anyone who didnat know her well.

Unlike her mother, Eve was going to live happily ever after.

Starting today.

The ceremony passed in a blur.

Ralph slipped a ring on her fingera"a beautiful, delicate band of gold that fit as if it had been custom-made. Thatas where head been this morning. She wanted to cry. Where had he found the money for this?

aYou may kiss the bride.a aI canat believe this is real,a Ralph whispered as he drew her into his arms. He gazed at her as if memorizing her face, taking his sweet time before covering her mouth with his own.

It wasnat the kind of kiss shead been expecting in a church but it didnat take more than a heartbeat for Eve to forget where they were, to forget everything but Ralph.

Still, when he released her, her face heated in a blush. But the minister had turned away, a smile on his lips.

She and Ralph were married now. It was okay for him to kiss her. It was okay for him to . . .

What was she doing? Her hand shook as she signed the documents. There was no need to smudge anythinga"it was all completely illegible.

Ralph took her to dinner in town. Eve doubted she ate a thinga"she could remember none of it. It was all she could do to breathe. Mrs. Ralph Grayson. She was Mrs. Ralph Grayson. As Ralph smiled at her from across the table, her heart felt near to bursting. It was almost enough to cancel out the fear that was coursing through her veins.

Almost, but not quite.

What had she done? Shead lied to the minister, lied to God. And if that werenat bad enough, shead lied to Ralph.

And she was going to have to keep on lying to him, for the rest of their lives.

She wasnat going to live happily ever after, she was going to live untruthfully ever after. Deceitfully ever after. Dishonestly ever after.

aLetas get a room at the hotel,a Ralph said, ago right up after dinner.a He was gazing at her as if she were a gourmet delicacy the chef had presented. The heat in his eyes was unmistakable and she had to look away as fear flickered, sharper.

Tonight would be their wedding night. And every minute that passed brought it another minute closer.

Thank God for Nicky still being under the weather. She stammered something about wanting to go home and check on him. She hoped Ralph understood.

Something in his eyes told her he understood completely.

So she was spared. Going to a hotel would have been terrifying. Surely this would be easier in the familiarity of her own room. Wouldnat it?

Eve took a deep breath. She was going to do this. Shead married Ralph. She loved him. She was old enough for this. After all, Juliet hadnat even been fourteen when she married her Romeo.

Surely all new young brides were frightened.

She was just a little more frightened and a little bit younger than most.

Back at the estate, she went in to check on Nick, but he was already asleep. Mrs. Johnson had been sitting with him. She quickly went back down the stairs to the kitchen and the quarters she shared with Mr. J. with few words and a furtive, disapproving glance in Ralphas direction.

aDidnat you tell her we were getting married?a he asked as, satisfied that Nick was sleeping restfully, his forehead cool, Eve gently closed her brotheras bedroom door.

She shook her head. aI didnat tell anyone.a Not even Nicky. It hadnat seemed real.

Until now.

And now it seemed too real, with Ralph following her into her room as if it were his room, too.

He laughed. aSo she thinks Iave come here to make wild, illicit love to you? Maybe I should go show her the license so she wonat think poorly of me all night long.a But instead of chasing after Mrs. J., he shut Eveas bedroom door behind him. And locked it. The click seemed to echo in the sudden silence.

Or maybe shead just imagined that it had. Because Ralph didnat seem to notice. He was carrying a bottle of wine and two long-stemmed glasses, and he set the glasses down on her bedside table.

aI have a present for you,a he said as he opened the bottle. aI brought it up here earlier. Itas on your desk.a Eve was pretending to look out the windowa"anything to keep from staring at Ralph standing there beside her bed. Their bed. They were married, and her bed was their bed now. She was so nervous, she thought she might be sick.

But instead, she turned, obediently, toward her desk. There was a box therea"prettily decorated, tied shut with a red ribbon. She hadnat noticed it. Of course, she wouldnat have noticed an elephant standing in the corner of her room right now.

He carried a glass of wine to her. aGo on, open it.a Eve took the glass and set it on the desk to hide the fact that her hand was shaking. She touched the satin of the ribbon, afraid to open it, afraid to look at him. He was standing so close.

aI donat have a gift for you.a Her voice shook.

He drew her into his arms. aYouave already given me all my heart desires, donat you know that? Just by marrying me.a He kissed her and his mouth was so gentle, so sweet. aPlease, donat be afraid, Eve. Weall go slowly tonight. I promise.a He touched her cheek. aTrust me, all right?a Trust him. What could she possibly say to that? She hadnat trusted him with her deepest secretsa"instead shead lied to him.

He didnat seem to need a response. He picked up the box, drew her back so she was sitting on the bed with him. aOpen it.a He took off his jacket and kicked off his shoes and pulled his feet up onto the bed. He moved so that his back was against the headboard and his legs stretched out, as if he were sitting on Nickyas bed.

As if they were friends, not newly married husband and wife, about to . . . About to . . .

Eve slipped her feet out of her pumps, and tucked them up underneath her, too, careful to stay down at the foot of the bed, glad for the space he was giving her, aware that head done it on purpose.

They were going to take this slowly. He wasnat going to jump on her right away, and start taking off her clothes and . . . The relief that flooded through her nearly made her weep.

aItas really nothing that spectacular,a Ralph said easily, gesturing toward the box. aSo if youave got ideas that the Grayson family diamonds are in there, just banish those thoughts now, all right?a He sounded no different than he ever had. Nick might have been right beside them, telling them to come on, they were taking too long, he wanted to go for a jaunt in the Daisy Chain.

She didnat have to be afraid.

Except she still was. Mother, help. aDo the Graysons have family diamonds?a she asked, as if she actually cared.

aOne or two here and there,a he said. aSo you like diamonds, do you?a She absolutely couldnat care less. But her mother had been wild for them, for anything that glittered. aIf someone handed me a box of them, I wouldnat turn it down.a She untied the ribbon and lifted the lid.

The box was filled with . . . letters? Dozens of letters.

aI wanted you to know without a shadow of a doubt that I married you because I want to. Iave loved you from nearly the moment we met,a Ralph told her now, softly, almost as if he were uncertain. aI wrote those letters to you, Eve. And even though I never dared send them, I meanta"and I meana"every word written there. I know itas not much of a gift compared to diamonds . . .a Eve opened one of the letters, unfolding the paper. aJune 2, 1939,a was written across the top in Ralphas neat hand. That was weeks ago, soon after head first arrived. aMy Dearest Eve,a she read silently, aI dreamt of you again last night. These days I find myself eager to fall asleep, because you come to me in my dreams. Itas the hours spent awake that have become such tribulations. I find myself desperate to see you, to exchange even the briefest of words with you, to be granted the smallest of smiles. Why do you hide from me? What are you afraid of? I am yours, always, until the end of time, Ralph.a What are you afraid of? Oh, Lord. She was going to be sick.

She picked up another, dated several days later. aDear Eve, I float! You spent the day with Nick and me! Suddenly Iam sixteen again, and would sell my soul for a chance just to hold your hand.

aWhat is it about you that I love the most? Itas not your beauty, although I canat deny you have the power to move me with just a smile. Is it the fact that youave read and adored so many of the books I adore, too? Is it your unembarrassed desire to keep on learning despite the fact youare long out of school? Is it your love of life? That you seem so unself-consciously childlike at times and so wise beyond your years at others? Is it because when you look at me with such admiration in your eyes, I know itas real, not some contrived false emotion designed to flatter or manipulate?

aIave never met a woman so unafraid to speak her mind, so unafraid to laugh out loud, so honest and true.a Oh, God. Tears filled her eyes, but Eve couldnat stop reading.

aI dream of making beautiful love to you, but the truth is, I could sit across the room from you and still be completely satisfied. Just being with you is enough. Please, Heavenly Father, let this summer last forever. I am yours, always, until the end of time, Ralph.a aJuly 15. Dearest Eve, Tonight Iam dying. I spent the day with you and Nick, while harboring the most dreadful secret.

aIam leaving Ramsgate. A letter came from my father, and I couldnat bring myself to tell you of its contentsa"that Iave been called into the armya"for fear it will change everything between us.

aI kissed you good-bye tonight, knowing that I have less than a fortnight of good-bye kisses left to steal. I want the next few weeks to continue on, untarnished by this grim news.

aBut tonight I feel like the blackest of scoundrels. I am a liar, not for telling a mistruth, but for omitting a truth. You are everything that is good and honest anda"a Good and honest.

Eve refolded the letter, put the cover back on the box.

Honest and true.

She was going to throw up.

Ralph had poured himself another glass of wine while he watched her read and he took a sip of it now. aSay something, would you? Itas rather like cutting my heart out and putting it in a box for you. I should have given you diamonds, shouldnat I have?a But he had. Head given her a box of perfect diamonds.

aIam a little embarrassed,a he admitted. aA little lightheaded, anda"a Eve started to cry.

It wasnat just that the tears shead been blinking back suddenly overflowed. It was an emotional explosion. They were noisy tears, stormy tears, sobbing, gasping, runny-nosed tears that wouldnat stop no matter how hard she tried.

It was stupida"she who never cried had now burst into tears three different times over the past few weeks. Ralph mustave thought she was a complete ninny.

No, he didnat. He thought she was good and honest and oh, God!

She would have run for the door if he hadnat reached her first and pulled her into his arms.

aOh, Eve, oh, damn, what have I done?a He sounded ready to cry himself. aI didnat mean to upset youa"a It wasnat his fault. Head done nothing wrong. Head given her the most romantic, most precious gift anyone had ever given her in her entire life. She was the villain herea"and what a villain she was. A liar and a fake and a cheat.

aIam so sorry,a Ralph said. aThe last thing I wanted to do was to make you cry. God, I should have just bought you a bracelet. What was I thinking? Please, forgive me.a Eve loved the box of letters and she loved him. If there was any forgiving to be done here, it was him forgiving her. But there was no way she could say any of that, so she kissed him.

He hesitated only the briefest fraction of a second, and then he kissed her, too.

It wasnat enough, and she kissed him harder, deeper, uncertain of what it was she really wanted, but sure that she didnat want his gentle restraint.

She got much more than she bargained for. It was as if she had lit a match and set Ralph on fire. He kissed her hungrily, possessively, demandingly, again and again, deeper, longer, pushing her back onto the bed, his thigh pressed up hard between her legs, his hands . . .

She didnat know when it changed. When her passion turned to fear. Maybe it was when he shifted his weight, pressing his entire body where his one leg had been. Maybe when his chin had rasped roughly against her cheeks and her neck as he kissed her throat. Maybe when she tried to pull away, but found he had her completely pinned.

aStop,a she gasped. aDonat! Donat!a He was off of her in a flash, sitting on the edge of the bed, breathing hard, head in his hands as he began to apologize, again.

aItas not your fault.a She pulled down her skirt from where it had ridden up, shockingly, all the way to the tops of her thighs. aItas my fault.a aI promised Iad go slowly.a He turned and looked at her. aBut I lied. I donat think I can, Evea"a aIam the liar,a she told him. aI should have told you a long time ago. Iam not ready for this. Iam so sorry!a aI want you so badly. I know youare frightened, buta"a aIam only fifteen!a Silence.

He stared at her, a flurry of emotions crossing his expressive face. aMy God,a he breathed. aPlease tell me this is a joke?a Eve shook her head. No joke.

aYouare fifteen . . . years old?a His voice broke.