"Who is that beautiful girl dancing with your brother?" his bride asked him innocently.

"Lady Lindley," William replied tersely.

"Oh," Emily Devers said softly. Her mother had been most honest in explaining the situation with Lady Lindley before she would allow her daughter to accept her cousin William's proposal of marriage. William Devers had asked Lady Lindley to be his wife, and she had turned him down. He had been most distraught over her refusal, Mistress Elliot told her daughter. It was possible he still loved her.

"I will make him forget," Emily Anne had answered her parent with the pure innocence of youth. But now seeing her one-time rival in the flesh, the new Mistress Devers was not at all certain that she could make William forget the beauteous and fascinating Fortune Lindley. Emily Anne felt the beginnings of jealousy starting to gnaw at her vitals.

The galliard was over. Fortune laughed up into Kieran Devers's face with delight. He was an excellent dancer, she had discovered to her enjoyment. Her own visage was flushed with her exertion, and her cheeks pink. The neat coil of hair at the nape of her neck had become undone, allowing the flaming red-gold curls to tumble down her back in a most disorderly fashion.

"You are so beautiful," he said, bending to whisper the compliment in her ear. "Were I not an honorable man I should take you off into a dark corner, and make love to you, my darling."

Fortune blushed deeper with the pleasure his words gave her.

The musicians took up their instruments once again. The notes of the gracious and courtly pavane sounded. Kieran caught Fortune's hand in his again, and they danced, suddenly so absorbed in each other that they were oblivious to anyone else in the salon. They were so absolutely perfect together that the other guests stopped dancing, stepping back as the young couple swayed with the elegant steps of the dance.

Her head was turned looking up at him. Her face was alight with her love for him. Her blue-green eyes glittered like fine jewels. Her lips were slightly parted, and there was a faint, secret smile upon them. His dark head, turned towards hers, was bent so low that their mouths were close to touching. They twisted and turned with every nuance and beat of the sensuous music; their bodies curled gracefully into each other with the dance. As he gazed upon her his love was unmistakable, his passion palpable. They were one, and the obviousness of it swept through the salon like a brush fire.

Jesu! James Leslie thought looking at them. The secret will be out now for certain. His eyes swung to the bridegroom, and as he saw the look of sudden realization and naked fury upon the younger man's face, it dawned upon the duke of Glenkirk that he was unarmed.

Then William Devers' voice broke the magic that had surrounded them all, stopping the music with his venom. "You bastard!" he snarled. "You lying bastard! You have wanted her all along though you denied it! I could kill you!"

"William!" his father's stern voice warned.

"If I couldn't have her, why should you?" William Devers said, his tone anguished. He was almost weeping.

Jane Devers thought she would die then and there so acute was her embarrassment. Now all of Fermanagh, nay all of Ulster, would be gossiping with this outrageous scandal.

"You bitch!" William cried, his anger rising again to encompass Fortune. "You led me on, and all the while you were whoring after my brother!"

The guests' heads snapped back and forth between the trio. Kieran Devers had remained silent in the face of his brother's charges. Fortune, however, was not so restrained.

"How dare you, sir?" she said in her most regal tones. Her voice was scathing, and dripping with contempt. Then she turned away from him and walked over to Emily Devers, who stood pale and trembling. She spoke more gently to the girl. "Madame, I apologize that my presence has upset your wedding day. I shall withdraw now in the hope that normalcy may be restored to this festive gathering." Then Fortune curtsied, her violet skirts brushing the parquet floor.

James Leslie was immediately at his stepdaughter's side. He bowed to the bride, to Lady Jane and Sir Shane, but he said not a word, and his look was stern. Then he led Fortune from the salon, his large hand laid comfortingly over hers, which she had placed on his velvet-clad arm.

When William made to follow, Kieran Devers reached out, and grasped his younger brother by the arm. His strong fingers dug into his sibling's flesh. "Are you not satisfied, Willy, to have broken young Emily's heart, and spoiled her wedding day with your obsession?" he said low through gritted teeth. "Go and apologize to your wife, or she'll be widowed before you can have her virginity, for I'll kill you myself to restore the family's honor, which you do not seem to care about at all." His head turned, and he signaled to the musicians to begin to play again. They took up a lively reel, and Kieran Devers shoved his brother toward his bride. Then he walked over to where his stepmother stood, ashen, and kissing her hand led her out onto the floor. "Come, madame," he said softly to her, "and let us try and smooth over this discomfiture that your son has brought upon us all." For the first time in his life he actually felt sorry for her, Kieran thought.

"Oh, Kieran, do you think we can?" Jane Devers whispered, her voice tremulous.

"We must, madame," he told her sternly.

Sir Shane, over his initial shock, bowed to Emily's mother. "Shall we join the dancers, ma'am, and allow our children to settle this foolish matter?" He led the abashed Mistress Elliot onto the floor to join the circle of dancers that was now forming. Her husband, with not a backward glance at his daughter and her bridegroom, chose a nearby lady, leading her off to join them.

Bride and groom were now alone in their corner of the room. "She has bewitched you," Emily Anne said calmly to William. "I can see that, my poor dear. She must be a very wicked girl, but I love you, William. I will help you to overcome her sorcery if you will but allow me." Standing on her tiptoes she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You will never have to see her again. Tomorrow we shall leave on our wedding trip down to Dublin. When we return your mama will see that Lady Lindley is not allowed at Mallow Court any longer, or at any gathering which we may attend. I was shocked by her open, and most lewd behavior with your brother." She patted his cheek gently. "I think we must see that Kieran is no longer welcome here either, eh? Your mother has been very generous in her tolerance of his presence, but he will not change, and we cannot have a Catholic about influencing our children, my dear. After all, one day this will be your house. He would have to go then at any rate. Everything is going to be just fine, dearest. We shall have a perfect and happy life together."

He stared at her, astounded. He had not realized how strong-willed she was until this moment. Still, he suddenly realized he needed her strength. "Emily," he began, "I am so sorry."

She stopped his mouth with her slender fingers. "It is forgotten, William dearest. You were led on, and bewitched by a noblewoman of loose morals. It was before our marriage and, therefore, of no importance to me at all. While I do not generally approve of public displays of affection, I think it would help to put our guests at ease if you would kiss me on the lips, my dear. Then we will join the dancing." She held her pretty face up to him.

He kissed her tenderly, and in leisurely fashion. Emily was right, he thought. Fortune had indeed bewitched him. She was a wicked and libertine bitch, who probably had no more control over her lustful desires toward his brother than she had had over her quick tongue. "You are the perfect wife for me, Emily dear," he told her as their lips parted. "And you have said a great deal that makes sense to me. Kieran must indeed leave Mallow Court. He is every bit as wicked as that woman. I do not want him around the children we will have." Then, daringly, he kissed her again, and she blushed prettily. "Thank you for forgiving me, my dearest wife," he said, and then he led her out to join the dancers.

It was as if nothing at all had happened. Seeing the well reconciled bride and groom, the guests relaxed. The celebration continued on into the night. The bride and groom were put to bed with as much decorum as was possible. The guests departed. The servants cleared away the debris of the celebration. Lady Devers sought her bed with a rather large carafe of wine, while Sir Shane sat with his elder son over full whiskey tumblers in his library before a blazing peat fire.

"A successful day, Da," Kieran said to his parent.

"Aye," the older man answered. "No one was maimed or killed despite our William. 'Twas fortunate the duke of Glenkirk was unarmed, or he might have defended his stepdaughter's honor after your brother insulted her so gravely. She's got a cool head, that one," Sir Shane remarked. "I don't know of any young woman so affronted who would not have caused an even greater scene defending herself, or castigating your brother before everyone with the plain truth. She's a strong lass."

This was the perfect moment for it, and Kieran knew it. "We're being married on October fifth, Da," he said quietly. "I'd like you to come, but I'll understand if you don't. Willy isn't to know until he and Emily have returned from Dublin. You understand why."

Shane Devers nodded. "Aye, I do."

"You don't seem surprised," Kieran said.

"After seeing you two together today, I'm not, laddie," his father responded. "How did it happen? Did you want her from the start, Kieran? Was William correct in his accusations?"

"I honestly don't know, Da. Fortune and I met up the day you left for England, and I was just returning from the coast road. After that " He shrugged. "We fell in love."

"We can't tell your stepmother about this until after the fact," Shane Devers said. "There's going to be hell to pay when she learns you are to have Maguire's Ford and Erne Rock."

"But Da, we're not," Kieran said. "The estate really is going to the two younger Leslie sons. My stepmother can dream her dream of matching Willy's first daughter with one of those lads. Mayhap it will even come to pass. Fortune and I will go to England with the duke and duchess. Lord Baltimore is mounting an expedition to the New World in order to found a Catholic colony where all faiths may live together in peace, especially the Catholics. Fortune and I intend to join that expedition, and start over. We will not be anywhere in evidence where my brother, or my stepmother can see us, and be chafed."

Shane Devers said nothing for a long moment, but finally he spoke. "That it should come to this," he said sadly. "That my eldest son should be driven from his heritage, and the land of his birth." He slowly drank down the tumblerful of whiskey, and held the crystal out for more, tears running down his weathered face. "I saw the handwriting on the wall when I married Jane, but I didn't want to fight. I just wanted peace and comfort for us all. Now yer leaving us."

Kieran poured the amber liquid into his father's tumbler, and then set the decanter aside again. "Da, you know that I never felt truly at home here. I don't understand it, but there it is. Ulster is not where I belong. Fortune feels the same way. She has lived in England, in France, in Scotland. She is well loved by her family, and yet she, too, never felt comfortable anywhere. We are two like souls, drawn together in spite of ourselves. The New World beckons to us, Da. We must be together. We must go away from this old world."

"You're certain, laddie? This isn't just a compromise because you've fallen in love with Fortune Lindley?" Sir Shane looked directly at his son, seeking the truth.

Kieran smiled. "We're certain, Da."

"Then God bless you, laddie, and your lass too. I'll be at your wedding no matter your stepmother's outrage afterwards."

"Colleen will be there too," Kieran said softly.

The older man nodded his head. "This will be the first secret I ever kept from my Jane, laddie. I love you greatly to do so."

"Ah, Da," Kieran told his father, "in all the years since my mam died, the one certainty I've always believed in was your affection for me. I return it, sir, and thank you for your blessing upon Fortune and upon me."