The Virtuous Ward - By Karla Darcy Page 0,65

She will not bend; she will break."

Max's words quite unsettled him and there was a light of anguish that beamed from his eyes as he stared down into his drink. Dev was perplexed, not knowing what to do for the best. He hated seeing his friend so distraught but he was loath to interfere. For the moment he thought it was best to change the subject since he needed further enlightenment to understand the full problem.

"And how goes your campaign to find the perfect wife?"

If anything Max looked more disturbed by the question. "Devil take it, Dev! I thought I had my entire life under control. Now I wonder if I have sense enough to come in out of a rain."

"It would seem, old chum, that from the exasperation I see in your eyes, you have made an almighty hash of the whole project." Dev grinned at his friend's snort of disgust. "I told you once that men were not intended to understand women."

"To my shame I will admit that I scoffed at that statement." Once more Max leaned forward, his face set in an earnest expression. "I thought I understood what made the perfect wife. But in the last several months I find that what I want and what I think I want are not the same things."

"Perhaps they are, Max. There was a time in my life when I was convinced that marrying Jena was the worst of disasters. I began to realize that if I stopped fighting the inevitable, the greatest happiness would be mine. Love caught me unaware but now I believe in its power."

Dev was silent for a moment as he gauged his friend's reaction. He knew that with Max's background he had tried to create an oasis of order and method in his life. Love was irrational and as such would be difficult for Max to come to terms with. Listening to his friend's description of his dealings with Amity, Dev had sensed a core of happiness that had been totally absent before.

"What do you think you want?" Dev asked.

"I think I want Honoria Waterston. It is very strange however, I have begun to wonder if in fact she is only a lady in appearance. For me a lady should have goodness, honesty, humor and moral strength. Because Honoria looked the part of the lady, I assumed she possessed all of these qualities but in actual fact I suspect she has none. I sensed she would conform to convention and never give me a reason to worry about her conduct unless I looked too closely at her activities. I think I was delighted with the restfulness I felt in her presence, a freedom of emotional involvement. Now I wonder if I will not die of boredom with that sort of relationship."

"What do you want, Max?"

"Damn it all, Dev. I want Amity!"

"Ah ha, my friend. At last you are honest with me," he grinned across at his disgruntled friend. "When you described Amity, I did not feel that her actions were vulgar or tasteless."

"That is the confusing part of this whole thing. She is the exact antithesis of my idea of a proper lady and yet in her I find all the qualities of a real lady. The servants adore her and you know how starched up my staff is. She is strong and fine and good." Max sounded as though he had just listed all her worst characteristics.

"Are you in love with her?"

"Yes, damn it! She makes me laugh," Max snapped, glaring at Dev as if to dare him to sneer at such an illogical statement. "She came bursting into my well-ordered life and invaded all the rooms of my house like a horde of avenging Berbers. I grumbled and grumped but discovered an ability to laugh that I have not had since I was a child. She's like sunshine, quicksilver and I find the thought of losing her to some starched-up, stick of a man quite unbearable."

"It would seem to me, Max, that you ought to make some push in her direction. The man of action I used to recall would not sit all evening at his club, swilling brandy and feeling sorry for himself." Dev's face took on a haughty expression and he stared at Max. "Have you mentioned your feelings to the girl?"

"Of course not, Dev! That would be most improper since I am, as you recall, her guardian." He shifted in his chair and a flush invaded the whiteness of