the only subject you are conversant with these days." Giving her brother what she hoped was a frosty glance, she stood and swept out the door. Rounding the corner, however, she nearly collided with Micheline, who was standing there as if frozen, her eyes swimming with tears and one hand covering her mouth.
"Eavesdropper!" Cicely accused.
"I didn't mean—" Micheline tried to explain, but the girl had already turned away and started down the corridor.
Suddenly Sandhurst was behind her, enfolding her in his arms and drawing her into his bedchamber. He closed the door, then led her over to the velvet-curtained bed.
"I am sorry," he whispered against her hair. Micheline's arms were wrapped tightly around his neck as she wept quietly. "My sister seems to have been transformed into a little witch in my absence."
She managed to control the urge to make the same declaration she had at Hampton Court, that she hated this place and wished they'd never come. However, Micheline hadn't forgotten the conversation that had followed that particular outburst. Somehow, she must find a way to cope with Aylesbury Castle and everyone in it. This was even more important than the challenge of dealing with the English royal court, for this was Andrew's ancestral home and these people were his family.
"Cicely despises me," she said. "What have I done to earn her ill will?"
"You have done nothing. It is time my sister learned that I do not belong to her."
Micheline raised her tear-stained face to his, and Andrew bent to kiss her. "Perhaps the problem is your mother's death," she mused. "It must have left a tremendous void in Cicely's life, and she's looked to you to fill it. When I put myself in her place and imagine living here with your father, Rupert, and Patience, it's easier to understand how she must feel."
"Believe me, I've agonized over this for the past five years, and my guilt has only increased as she's gotten older."
"I heard what she said about hoping that she might come to live with you. Andrew, couldn't she do that now? Is there any reason why Cicely couldn't make her home with us?"
He was stunned. "You can't be serious! As a new bride you would actually welcome the presence of that rude little vixen?"
"It might make all the difference for her. Certainly her attitude toward me would have to change, but I wouldn't expect miracles overnight. However, if I began to fear for my life, she would obviously have to leave!"
Micheline smiled a little at what she had meant as an exaggeration, but Sandhurst gazed absently out the window, his face grim. "I'll think about it. In the meantime, I love you for making such an open-hearted suggestion." To prove his point, he bent and kissed her long and slowly, groaning a bit when her lips clung to his as he raised his head. "This is torture. Did you come here solely for that purpose?"
Her smile faded. "No, I came because I found myself growing rather panicky at the thought of having a room so far from yours. Silly, I know, but after Hampton Court—"
"No, it's not silly at all. We'll arrange for Mary to share your chamber again, and I'll see that there's a proper lock on the door."
"I know that there's nothing to be afraid of here—except, perhaps, carrying on a conversation with your father!—but I can't seem to quell these unreasonable fears. I'm sure that they'll pass with time, and once we're married, I'll be much better! What could I fear with you in my bed?"
Sandhurst pressed warm, smiling lips to her throat. "Your only worry then will be the possibility of never sleeping again...."
"Andrew," she continued tentatively, "since I've mentioned the duke, I may as well ask you—is there anything I should do differently to win his favor? I tried to be tactful this afternoon, but he didn't seem to appreciate any of the things I had to say."
His body tensed against her; Micheline sensed him withdrawing. "For God's sake, don't even consider saying what you think he wants to hear! Go on just as you have, speaking the truth. It's a game! If he senses your weakness, he'll pounce and try to control you just as he controls that sniveling half brother of mine."
Micheline sighed. "I wish we were already married—and alone at Sandhurst Manor."
"As always, fondling, we are of one mind." He paused, mentally reviewing all that had happened that day. "In fact. I see no reason to linger in