“Francesca: It's still a bit cold yet.Michael: Never stopped John and me.Francesca: Yes, well, you're Scottish. Your blood circulates quite well half frozen.”

“Of course none of those men was suitable. Half were after your fortune, and as for the other half—well, you would have reduced them to tears within a month.”“Such tenderness for your youngest child,” Hyacinth muttered. “It quite undoes me.”

“Eloiseis getting married as well.”“Eloise?” Michael asked with some surprise. “Was she even being courted by anyone?”“No,” Francesca said, quickly flipping to the third sheet of her mother‟s letter. “It‟s someone she‟s never met.”“Well, I imagine she‟s met him now,” Michael said in a dry voice.”

“I‟m going to kill her,” Francesca said to no one in particular. Which was probably a good thing, as there was no one else present.“Who are you talking to?” Hyacinth demanded.“God,” Francesca said baldly. “And I do believe I have been given divine leave to murder you.”“Hmmph,” was Hyacinth‟s response. “If it was that easy, I‟d have asked permission to eliminate half the ton years ago.”Francesca decided just then that not all of Hyacinth‟s statements required a rejoinder. In fact, few of them did.”

“Oh, God, Francesca,Now there’s a good one.Why?Why? Why?” He gave each one a different tenor, as if he were testing out the word, asking it todifferent people.“Why?” he asked again, this time with increased volumeas he turned around to face her.“Why? It’sbecause I love you, damn me to hell. Because I’ve always loved you. Because I loved you when youwere with John, and I loved you when I was in India, and God only knows I don’t deserve you, but Ilove you, anyway.”Francesca sagged against the door.“How’s that for a witty little joke?” he mocked. “I loveyou. I loveyou, my cousin’s wife. I loveyou, theone woman I can never have. I loveyou, Francesca Bridger-ton Stirling.”

“And what renders him so unmarriageable?” Eloise asked.Francesca leveled a serious stare at her older sister. Eloise was mad if she thought she should set her cap for Michael.“Well?” Eloise prodded.“He could never remain faithful to one woman,” Francesca said, “and I doubt you’d be willing to put up with infidelities.”“No,” Eloise murmured, “not unless he’d be willing to put up with severe bodily injury.”

“Francesca actually felt her chin drop. “Mother,” she said, shaking her head, “you really should have stopped at seven.”“Children, you mean?” Violet asked, sipping at her tea. “Sometimes I do wonder.”“Mother!” Hyacinth exclaimed.Violet just smiled at her. “Salt?”“It took her eight tries to get it right,” Hyacinth announced, thrusting the salt cellar at her mother with a decided lack of grace.“And does that mean that you, too, hope to have eight children?” Violet inquired sweetly.“God no,” Hyacinth said. With great feeling. And neither she nor Francesca could quite resist a chuckle after that.”