Page 77 of Sweet Siren
"A large family will visit here, never forget. And there's room for all of them. They must be fedwell."
"Oh, yes. I'd forgotten all of them who'd been to Remy's wedding." She trailed her hand along the wooden frame where the roasting fireplace would stand. "Two daughters, one unmarried, and one married to the Duke of Seton. They have oneson."
"Remy's new wife is Mr. Hanniford'sniece."
"And they have their son. Bertrand, isit?"
Liv nodded. “Rand, they callhim.”
"And Mr. Hanniford has a son. Did I meet him at Remy'swedding?"
"You did," declared a rich bassvoice.
Liv whirled around to see Pierce Hanniford grinning ather.
"Hello, Liv!" Pierce picked his way over piles of wooden wainscoting to take Liv by the shoulders and kiss her on both cheeks. "How areyou?"
"I'm well," she said as she looked straight ahead into the silver fires of Killian's searchinggaze.
"Camille, how wonderful." Pierce moved toward her daughter and left Liv facing the man she'd yearned to seeagain.
"Hello, Liv," Killian greeted her quietly. "How areyou?"
"Well," she told him and then summoned the pluck for more of the truth. "Now that I see you, I am muchbetter."
That transformed his impersonal gaze into a benevolent smile. "I'm very glad to hearit."
She wanted to abduct him, blurt out all her new resolutions. But his reticence and the fact that he’d brought Pierce with him, signaled now was not the best time. At a loss how to proceed, she tried for the mundane. "You're here for theday?"
"We took the nine-thirty excursion train from Victoria. Lucky we got aseat!"
"It's always crowded onSaturday."
"Half of London," said Pierce, "had climbedaboard."
Liv found her voice and her hope. "Today the weather means it is a wonderful day to be inBrighton."
"I remember," he said and his words mingled with the memory so that she fought tears in hereyes.
He fished a handkerchief from his waistcoat pocket and tucked it in her hand. "Don't cry, Liv. Everything will befine."
She dabbed at her lashes. The lump in her throat was big as a boulder. "I want to tell you how sorry I am. For the argument. For everything. I’ve so much toexplain.”
“I’m glad to hear that. We need time to heal old wounds. Let’s take it, shallwe?”
This was the Killian she loved, the kind and gentle man. She beamed at him. “By all means. I'd like to walk you through thehouse."
"My dear, I saw the receipts yesterday at Roger's. You're spending me out of existence with your choices," he said on a chuckle, "so you'd better make this a grandtour."
"Oh!" She clutched the handkerchief to her chest, her brain suddenly mush. She was so overjoyed to see him. Handsome charming debonair Killian. "I've spent too much? But—but Roger said you told him I had the run of it. Up to—um—how much? I—I can'trecall."
"Forty thousand pounds. Yes, I did saythat."
"But now it's too much? Well, well. All right. All right." She put one hand to her chest, one to her temple. "I can cutback."
He grabbed her hand, the one against her chest and she could wager he felt how frantically her heart beat. "Don't youdare."
"No? I don't understand. If you want me to stop spending thenI—"
