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Analisa slept late the following day and ith a sertips over her neck, felt a fas hadtouched her skin Strange, that so that should make her stomach turn with revulsion, filled her with such pleasure Last night, after she had roused, Alesandro had read to her from a book of poetry, and then he had told her a little about his childhood There was so much about him she didn&039;t know, sofor her maid, and a short time later Sally entered the room

"Afternoon, miss," the maid said cheerfully, and Analisa noticed that Sally also wore a s breakfast?"

Analisa nodded As always after satisfying Alesandro&039;s hunger, she was famished

"Very well, miss I&039;ll tell Cook you&039;re awake Will you be wanting anything special?"

"No, anything heher arlance out the ed it was a rare, clear day Throwing the covers aside, she got out of bed

"You look well rested and happy," Sally remarked as she handed Analisa her robe

"I aed herself In a few hours, she would see hi the color in her maid&039;s cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes

"Oh, yes, miss, I am Shall I fetch you some hot water?"

Analisa nodded

"Very well,Analisa wonder if the girl&039;s cheerfulof Alesandro ht, loved him with all her heart and soul He was aafter so many years of solitude It pleased her when she could make him smile Alesandro He was truly a entleness, such tenderness She wondered if Sally&039;s feelings for Robert ran as deep and wide as her own for Alesandro

The maid returned with a bucket of hot water a short time later "Breakfast will be ready when you&039;re finished here," Sally said "Shall I bring it up, or will you eat in the breakfast room?"

"I&039;ll come down"

Sally bobbed a curtsey, laid out a dress and clean underwear, and left the rooown and quickly washed her hands, arms, and face She dressed quickly, brushed her hair, and then, hu the same tune as her maid, she went downstairs

The breakfast rooht when she stepped inside A tray was placed before her as soon as she sat down Breakfast was delicious, as usual, but, staring out the , her thoughts on the coht, she was hardly aware of what she ate

Mrs Thornfield entered the rooat the opposite end of the table

"What&039;s that for?" Analisa asked curiously

"Lord Alesandro wishes you to kno to behave at a proper dinner"

"I don&039;t knohat youthe back of a chair, "sit here"

When Analisa was seated, the housekeeper pointed out what each knife, spoon, and fork was used for

Analisa looked up at the woman, confused Meals at Blackbriar and here at the Manor were always informal After all, there was little need for proper protocol when Analisa ate her meals alone, or occasionally with Alesandro for company

"Lord Alesandro feels you need to kno to conduct yourself in society At a large gathering, you can expect to be served as many as ten courses - "

"Ten?" Analisa squeaked

"Yes You ht expect to have soup, a turbot of lobster and Dutch sauce, perhaps some red mullet or oysters A sweetbread Laus or peas, venison or ht also be sardines and plover&039;s eggs in aspic You can expect chocolate for dessert, or perhaps a cherry ice, as well as whatever fruit is in season And there will be wine, of course Sherry with soup and fish, port with venison and cheese, claret with roast meat, and Madeira with sweets"

"I don&039;t understand," Analisa said "Alesandro and I have never been invited out, nor is it likely to happen"

"I&039; what I was told, miss," the housekeeper said, and for the next two hours, she schooled Analisa in proper etiquette

A lady as une of thirty was never to be in the company of a man without a chaperone except for a walk in the park in earlyto church A lady did not wear pearls or dia A lady never danced entleentleman except on athem socially A lady should always rise to offer her hand A lady e of her chair Her feet should scarcely be seen and never crossed A lady always left so on her plate

Analisa&039;s head was fairly spinning when the lesson cah she was no less confused than she had been at the beginning What need did she have to know such things? Alesandro did not go visiting, nor did he have company at his home, and there was little chance that she would be invited anywhere without hi tosuddenly tired, she went upstairs to take a nap Sleep came quickly Her drea at an enormous table surrounded by dozens and dozens of dishes while faceless people looked on, waiting for her to choose the right fork, and the nextred with the lust for blood "This is the correct fork," he said, and with an insane laugh, he plunged it into her throat

She ith a start, her heart pounding wildly Scra out of bed, she ran out of the room and out of the house

It was near dusk, and cool The setting sun set the sky ablaze with vibrant shades of cri, she scrubbed her hands over her ar a distraction, she walked toward the barn

Robert was outside, currying a pretty gray horse Dewhurst sat on a bench nearby, ,hishat

"Hello, Robert"

" &039;Tis a lovely night for a ride, miss" He patted the horse on the shoulder "I could saddle Old Bess for you, if you like"

"Oh, no," Analisa replied, shaking her head "I don&039;t kno to ride" At home, they had been far too poor to own a horse and had made do with a donkey, which was far cheaper to buy She had, on occasion, ridden the animal bareback, but she had been a child then She had no idea how to ride sidesaddle

"As you will, ht if I look around?"

"You&039;ve no business asking my permission," Robert said, obviously taken aback

Analisa flushed She kept forgetting she was supposed to be the h, she lifted her skirts and walked into the barn She stopped in the doorway, letting her eyes grow accustomed to the dim interior, and then wandered down the center aisle There were large box stalls on either side The carriage horses whickered softly as she drew near She stopped in front of the first horse and ranher hand over its neck She paused aequal attention to the second horse, and thenblack horse eyed her suspiciously It was a beautiful ani, silky h its nostrils and shook its head, its ears going flat at her approach

It could only belong to Alesandro, she thought, for certainly only a man unafraid of death would have the nerve to ride such a fearsome beast

She kept her distance, put off by the wild look in its eyes, gave a start when she felt a hand on her shoulder She whirled around, s with surprise "Alesandro!"

He wore black breeches and knee-high black boots of soft leather His shirt, of fine white laas open at the throat, the perfect foil for his black hair As always, just looking at him made her breath catch in her throat

"What do you think of him?"

"He&039;s yours, isn&039;t he?"

He made a soft sound of assent

"He&039;s beautiful, but how did you ever get the nerve to ride him?"

"It wasn&039;t easy" Alesandro moved past her to stroke the stallion&039;s neck "I&039;ve had him since he was a colt Horses have an instinctive fear oftime to win his trust But we&039;re friends now, aren&039;t we, Deuce?"

The stallion ainst Alesandro&039;s chest With a faint sar from his pocket and offered it to the stallion

Analisa smiled as the stallion plucked the cube from Alesandro&039;s hand, then tossed its head up and down in what could only be a gesture of equine approval

"Why do you keep hi him to some of the local mares" Alesandro scratched the stud&039;s ears, then turned to face Analisa "Coorously and took a step back

"Come, "Lisa," Alesandro insisted "He will not hurt you"

"Are you sure?" Keeping one wary eye on the horse, who see one wary eye on her, she walked toward Alesandro She gasped as the stallion lowered its head to sniff her hand

"Shall we go for a ride?" Alesandro asked

"I don&039;t kno"

"You can ride double with me"

She hesitated a moment, torn between her fear of the horse and her desire to please Alesandro

In the end, Alesandro won Tenon the back of a ht around her waist She detected no movement, heard no co strides carrying them quickly out of the barn and into the yard