A moment later the library door opened.

"Mr. Bennet Cloud is inquiring to see if you are at home, Mrs. Bright," Mrs. Shaw said.

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

Bennet, his expression grim and intent, appears the doorway. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Bright. Thank for seeing me."

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

"A pleasure, Miss Farley." Bennet nodded to Amelia.

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

"If-if you don't mind," Bennet stammered. not wish to be rude, but my business is of a personal nature."

"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." Bennet began to pace restlessly in front of her. "This is very awkward me, Mrs. Bright."

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 Bennet stopped his pacing and swung around to her. "I am here to tell you that I wish to withdraw all my objections to the marriage."

"You do?"

Bennet grimaced. "Not that my brother would give a damn whether I objected or not. He always does as Pleases."

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?" Bennet resumed his fevered pacing. "Mrs. Bright, I have known my brother all of my life."

"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." Bennet moved his hand in a vague, and encompassing motion. "Rather Re a mountain or the sea or some other force of nature. Oh, he can he bloody stubborn and quite set in his ways. And he insists on living by his own damnable rules. But he has always seemed so strong."

"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." Bennet reached a wall of bookcases, turned, and started back across the room. "Last night I realized that Marcus has depths that I have not, until now, even suspected existed within him. I recognize that he has certain needs. Needs which he believes only you can fulfils, Mrs. Bright."

"Masters told you this?"

"In a manner of speaking. I gained the impression that he wants you very badly."

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

"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."

Bennet was momentarily overcome by his favorite subject. "Our mutual affection is characterized by sublime emotions and a truly metaphysical communion of the senses.»

"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," Bennet concluded, "it is difficult to speak of Dorchester 's exquisite sensibilities, her refined mind, or even her gracious manner without resorting to poetry."

"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." Bennet shrugged. "To be perfectly truthful, I am not certain he was ever the sort to surrender to the higher sentiments. His is an intellectual nature, you understand."

"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 announce our betrothal at the end of the Season. We shall he married in the spring. Miss Dorchester and I wish to spend the next few months becoming better acquainted with each other. And there are so many plans to he made, you know."

"Yes, of course." Marcus would be relieved, Iphiginia thought. He had at least bought some time for Bennet to make certain that he was doing the right thing.

"She was willing to elope with me," Bennet confided proudly. "During that brief span of time when she thought I would have nothing, she said that she would go to Gretna Green with me. She loves me as much as I love her."

"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.

Bennet glowed with enthusiasm. "She is most charming, indeed. Very likely the most charming woman on the face of the earth."

Marcus would require some convincing of that fact, but Iphiginia had a bunch that all would he well between Bennet and his beloved Miss Dorchester.

"Our situation is quite different from your own, however," Bennet continued. "You and my brother needn't bother with a long engagement. No offense, Mrs. Bright, but it's not as though you were a young chit fresh out o the-schoolroom. And God knows my brother is not getting any younger."

"True."

Bennet frowned. "Cannot ever remember my brother being young. Even when I was a lad, he seemed something of an antiquity. But that's neither here nor there. The important thing is your marriage."

"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 announce the new arrivals.

"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