"Good. Miss Jackson, I . . ."

This time he was interrupted when Lady Phillips began ringing her bell and yelling from somewhere in the house. "Mary! What do you do, Mary? Why have you not brought my tea?"

"Hateful, insufferable, contemptible woman," Mary muttered, her eyes shifting from side to side. She half curtsied, rushed back inside and closed the door in his face. Then slowly, she turned and slumped against the door. Her eyes had begun to sparkle and her grin was mischievous.

Long after his brother had gone to bed, Uriah blew out all the candles and walked to the sitting room window. Lost in thought, he paid no attention to the sleeping horses or the way the full moon made the meadow an emerald green. "What would you have me do now, Colleen?"

He was about to turn away when he caught a glimpse of movement in the far off trees. Slowly, a figure emerged. He tensed his muscles and waited as the figure past the horses and headed toward the cottage. It was definitely a woman and as she drew nearer, his heart skipped a beat. Her long auburn hair hung loose and as she walked, the extra length on the back of her silky, light blue gown gently caught on long blades of grass, released and then caught again. She looked like a queen.

"Colleen," he whispered. He hurried through the darkened room, opened the door and quietly pulled it closed behind him. Then he started into the meadow. He was filled with anticipation, yet he slowed, unwilling to frighten her and unsure of the reason for her visit. Two feet from her, he stopped, held perfectly still and let her examine his face. The seconds seemed eternal.