Ballard blinked, then stared at her blankly for a moment. He noted a little dazedly that her soft ivory skin was now tinted a lovely rose. Finally he shook his head, but that did not dislodge the words he had just heard.

“Did ye just ask me to marry ye?” he asked cautiously, still afraid that he had misheard and would now embarrass himself.

“Yes, I did. Oh, I am dreadfully sorry,” she said, her meager courage swiftly waning. “I am doing this all wrong, terribly wrong. I had it all planned out so that I would approach the matter slowly, asking a few questions, then explaining a few things, and only then putting forth my proposition, but you started to leave sooner than I had planned. That put me into such a state of confusion and—” She stared at him, wide-eyed, when he lightly placed one long finger over her full mouth.

“Ye are getting yourself into a dither, lassie. Why dinnae ye just start all over again, doing it just as ye planned to? Ask me your questions, make all your explanations, and we can see how it rides. Weel, what did ye want to ask me?” he prodded gently when she hesitated.

She sighed and nervously smoothed her skirts. “All right. Why did you want to marry Sarah Marsten, aside from the fact that she is very comely?”

“Weel, I did notice that first,” he admitted.

“Ye-es, I am certain you did,” she drawled.

“Also, she showed some interest and was willing to let me call on her. She is a lady and all, with learning and fine manners. I am a rough mon, I ken it, and I live a rough life, but Kentucky is getting settled. ‘Tis a state now and ‘tis becoming mighty civilized. I reckon I was looking to take some of that culture back home with me. How did ye feel about that Thomas fellow?” he asked in an abrupt change of subject.

“That can wait. I am not finished with my questions yet.”

“Fine then, ye ask me a few more. Then I shall be wanting an answer.”

Clover was about to tell him that it was none of his business how she felt about Thomas, but quickly bit back the tart words. It certainly was his business if he accepted her proposition. If he was to be her husband, he had every right to know all about her former beau.

“There is only one more question,” she said. “Did you think of marriage only when you saw Sarah Marsten or was the thought of marriage already in your head and she just seemed suitable?”

“I was thinking of marriage when I set out from Kentucky. This summer I will see in eight and twenty years. I have got my house built, my land’s all cleared and is producing nicely, and the horses I breed are fetching a fair price. So now I am able to set aside some coin and spend it on more than just staying alive. Decided it was past time I had me a family.”

“Are there no women in Kentucky to choose from?”

“Few who are nae already married or are old enough. A mon comes out to Kentucky to make a start. He might bring his wife with him, but many come out alone, just as I did. They want to get settled some before they start a family. Aye, there are a few single lasses about my home, but I wasnae of a mind to put my name to them. What about Thomas?”

“Oh, all right, if you must know.”

“I must.”

“Thomas and I were engaged for three months. Before that we knew each other for nearly a year, and sometime during that year, he became a beau. Two weeks ago my family fell upon hard times rather abruptly. As a result Thomas sent me a letter this morning in which he formally ended our betrothal. I should have anticipated it, for he has assiduously avoided me since my family’s troubles began.”

“But how do ye feel about that?” He wondered if she was just trying to salvage her pride when she asked him to marry her, thus showing Thomas and the world how quickly she could replace the man.

“I told you—I have not really thought on it. When I begin my explanations, I believe you will understand why. I am angry, very angry. That much I do know.” She frowned as she sought the right words. “I feel deeply betrayed, but that comes mostly from the fact that I counted on Thomas and he failed me. I suppose my heart ought to be breaking, yet it does not seem to be. However, the poor thing has suffered so many blows just lately that it may be beyond pain.”

“What are these troubles ye keep talking about?” he asked gently, deciding that he would get no better idea of her feelings for Thomas. She seemed to be very confused on the matter.

“It would be best if I started from the beginning. Two weeks ago my father came home, went into his study, and put a pistol to his head.”

Ballard cursed softly and took one of her tiny hands in his. “I am powerful sorry, lass.”

“Thank you.” She found herself briefly speechless, strongly affected by his touch, and nervously cleared her throat. “Well, to continue—we barely had time to see to Papa’s burial when the reasons for his suicide became all too clear. My father was a naive, trusting man, and he had put his faith in the wrong people to invest his money. Once he began to lose money, he borrowed in a vain attempt to recoup through other schemes—all dismal failures. The debts he left behind were very large ones. They have been paid, but we have no money left and in two weeks we shall have no home. All that remains to us are our clothes and furniture. All lands, silver, jewelry, and such assets went to pay off those debts.”

“And when Thomas heard that he jilted ye.”

“That he did. Not only have I lost my dowry, but my brothers and my mother would have become his responsibility as well.” She watched Ballard MacGregor closely, for she knew it would be those dependents who would be the biggest impediment to their union.

“Ye have no kin to help ye?”

“Only one,” Clover replied slowly as she fixed her gaze upon a familiar carriage that was coincidentally just now drawing to a halt before the house. “But she will not help. In fact, this is she now. Hello, Alice,” she said as her elder sister approached and Ballard stood to greet her.

For the thousandth time Clover wondered how someone as lovely as her sister could be so mean and small. As always, the voluptuous, blond Alice was adorned in the height of fashion, but Clover noticed that her sister’s much admired rosebud mouth was beginning to look pinched. Alice’s inner self was starting to alter her angelic features.

“Why are you sitting on the stoop like some servant?” Alice demanded.

“I was having a pleasant conversation in the afternoon sun with Mr. MacGregor. What are you doing here?”

“I was at Mrs. Langdon’s hat shop and saw Thomas strolling through town with Sarah Marsten. Is your engagement to him at an end?”

“Yes. Did you come to commiserate with me?”

Alice ignored that. “I have been expecting it. Well, let me get by.”

“Why?” Clover did not move out of the way, determined to find out the reason for her callous sister’s visit before allowing her to take one more step.

“Since you obviously will not be moving in with Thomas Dillingsworth, you have no need for all that furniture.”

“No? It could provide ample firewood for whatever hovel we may find.” Clover dearly wanted to slap her sister’s sulky face but held back, not wishing to make an even bigger scene in front of Ballard.

“Do not be so absurd. However, before you do anything too foolish, I wish to rescue a few pieces. I am particularly interested in that little marble table in Mama’s bedchamber. It would look lovely in my sitting room.” When Alice tried to ascend the steps, Clover blocked her way. “Would you move?” Alice snapped.

“Take one step closer to that door and you certainly will get that little table—rammed right down your traitorous throat.” Clover clenched her hands into tight fists as she continued to fight the nearly overwhelming urge to inflict bodily harm on her sister. “Get out of here, Alice.”

“How dare you speak to me like that! I have every right to be here and to take anything I like after our father’s miserable failure.”

“I would burn every stick of furniture in that house before I would let you get your hands on it.”

“Alice! Why have you come here?”

When she heard her mother’s voice, Clover silently cursed. She allowed Alice to push past her, then turned to watch her sister greet their mother. There was no doubt in her mind that Alice was about to deliver yet another blow to their mother, and Clover dearly wished she could stop it.

“Really, Mama, you should have heard how Clover spoke to me,” Alice complained. “I have come to take some of the furniture off your hands. Now that you will not be going to live with Thomas, you will have no need of so many fine pieces. Clover simply refuses to understand that I have as much right to what little Papa left as anyone else in the family. After all, I am your daughter.”

“No.” A pale Agnes choked out the word. “No, you are no daughter of mine.” She shut the door in her eldest child’s face, and the sound of the bolt being shot home echoed with stark clarity in the sudden silence.

“I see,” Alice murmured as she turned to face Clover. “So none of you sees fit to understand my position.”

“We understand that you want nothing to do with us,” Clover answered. “We are simply paying that back in kind.”

Alice started down the steps, carefully holding her skirts so they would not brush against Clover. “I suppose I am to get no thanks at all for what I did for Papa.”

“You? What did you ever do for Papa?”

“If it was not for me, for my position in what meager society exists in this town, Papa would not have been buried in consecrated ground. I had a word with the preacher.”

“Do not wear out your lily-white hand patting yourself on the back, sister dear. You had absolutely nothing to do with that.”

“Nonsense. No one believed it was an accident. Why should the preacher go along with a lie unless he was prompted to it by me and my husband John’s influence?”

“Because I told him that if he did not do it I would see that everyone in Langleyville learned about his frequent trysts with Mrs. Patterson on Harbor Road.”

Alice gaped at Clover in utter horror. “You blackmailed a man of the cloth?”

“I did.”

“Well, I am very glad that I shall have no further association with someone who would act so dastardly.”

“Not nearly as dastardly as kin who turn their back on their own in their time of need.”

“I cannot afford such charity. I have a position to uphold in this pathetic town.”

“Fine. Go uphold it somewhere else, please. You have hurt Mama for the last time.” Clover sighed as she watched Alice hurry into her carriage and ride away. She turned to Ballard and said in a quiet voice, “I am very sorry you had to witness that, Mr. MacGregor.”

“It was verra informative,” he murmured.

“Perhaps. I apologize again, for I could see that you were uncomfortable.”

“Ah, weel, it wasnae the squabble between ye and your sister that caused that. Seeing her ride up reminded me of a time back in Edinburgh.”

“If Alice reminded you of something, it was probably not good.”

Ballard briefly smiled at her tartness. “Nay, it wasnae. She reminded me of all the ladies I used to watch in Edinburgh. I used to stand for hours on the busiest streets in the city just to watch the people, specifically the wealthy people, and the ladies never failed to hold my attention.”

“They can be quite colorful when all decked out in their finery,” Clover agreed.

“Aye, that they can be. My family was tossed off our land in the Highlands so that the laird could raise sheep. ‘Twas a common practice at that time. So we went to Edinburgh. In that city poverty was not simply a matter of lack of ready coin.”

“What do you mean?”

“In the city poverty was a grinding way of life. Surrounded by filth and violence, we had to fight for every crumb of bread, for every one of the too-few jobs. Even as a wee lad I kenned that only a few were able to escape such a life and gain a better one.”

“You did,” she whispered, touched by the plight of that small boy.

“Aye, I was one of the fortunate ones. As a lad in the city, I began to watch those rich folk, envying their fine clothes and cleanliness. The women always looked so far above the squalor all around them, so beautifully untouched and so temptingly close. I had some verra wild, childish fancies about their origins and true natures.”

“They did not live up to those fancies, did they?”

“Nay. Once, a carriage stopped near me. I was struck dumb, as if caught by a spell, when a lady stepped out, her silk skirts rustling and the air filled with her perfume. I reached out to her but barely brushed the soft silk of her gown before her escort noticed me. That man struck me so hard that I fell into the street, dazed. I suffered a great many kicks and blows as I scrambled out of the way of the vehicles, horses, and people. It was a rough lesson, but I am a fast learner. There are lines ye dinnae cross. Aye, even in this new land. Unlike in England, across the big pond in America ye can move up with the right amount of coin in your pocket. But until ye have it, ye had best not even try.”

His tale made Clover uneasy, for she was of the class that had treated him so poorly. She wondered if he was preparing to tell her a match between them was impossible.

“And now that you have the coin, you mean to try?” she asked.

“I do, and ye will help me. Now, just how many of ye is Alice turning her back on?”

“Myself, my twin brothers Clayton and Damien—who are seven, almost eight—and my mother Agnes.”

“I see. Sit back down here, lassie, and let me hear your plans. I have answered your questions and heard your explanations,” he continued as they got comfortable on the steps. “I think I can see what your plan is, but it might be best if ye put it to me in your own words.”

Clover took a deep breath to restore her calm, but it was only partly successful. “I thought that if you are very eager for a wife, you will be willing to take one even if she has no dowry and brings three dependents with her. I can offer you all that you sought in Sarah Marsten except for her unquestionable beauty.”

“Ye are nae ugly, wee Clover,” he drawled, and smiled when she blushed.

“Thank you kindly, Mr. MacGregor, but I know full well I am not Sarah Marsten’s equal. I do, however, have the same level of learning that she does, perhaps even a bit more. I have had the same kind of upbringing.” She frowned slightly. “It may be easier for me to defend my qualifications if you tell me exactly what you are seeking in a wife.”

Ballard leaned a little closer, watching her intently as he answered, “I dinnae want a wife who sees me as no more than a means to a roof over her pretty head and food on the table.”

“I understand. I know it sounds as if that is all I seek, but although those needs have prompted me to act in this rash manner, ‘tis not the whole of it. I believe in marriage, Mr. MacGregor. I would not take such vows lightly. I intend to be as good a wife as I can and make as good a marriage as possible.”

“And bairns—babies,” he murmured, his gaze settling on her mouth.

“Yes.” She swallowed hard. “Babies are a part of marriage, if God wills it so.”

He traced the shape of her mouth with his finger and spoke in a soft but firm voice. “I want a woman in my bed, in my kitchen, and at my side in the fields if need be.” Ballard watched how her quickening breath made her breasts move. “I dinnae want to be worrying that she will be squawking or sulking because I cannae buy her a new silk dress. I want bairns.”

“I am willing to do all of that, Mr. MacGregor.” Clover began to find his nearness unsettling, but was unable to pull away.

“Just how engaged were ye to this Thomas fellow?”

“What do you mean? Thomas and I were to be married. That is what engaged means.”

“Ye said that Thomas stepped out with ye for a year and that ye were engaged to the mon for three months. Ye willnae be presenting me with another dependent in but a few months, will ye?” When she tried to leap to her feet in red-faced outrage, he swiftly grabbed her by the arms and held her still. “Steady on, lass. A lot of engaged couples anticipate their wedding night.”

Clover gave up struggling against his firm hold and glared at him. “Thomas was a gentleman. He and I behaved with the utmost decorum. We were always chaperoned. My father was adament about it. ‘Tis most unkind of you to suggest that—”

“Not unkind at all,” he interrupted. “‘Tisnae often that a mon gets himself engaged to a lass but doesnae wed her. Many folk consider a betrothal as good as a wedding. Now, if that lad had ye and left ye with a babe growing, I wouldnae be too inclined to slap my name on it. Nay, but I would help ye get the scoundrel to the altar to wed ye as he should.” Even as he said the words, he was not sure he meant them, and wondered why.

“Well, Thomas has not left me with child.” She wriggled in his hold, but it was clear that he was not going to release her. When he began to lower his mouth toward hers, she gasped. “We are out in public, Mr. MacGregor.”

“Aye, so? Let these folks see how a Kentuckian does his courting.”

Ballard gently pressed his mouth to hers. He teased her lips with his and found her taste very sweet. She clutched at his coat with her dainty hands and trembled slightly as he enfolded her in his arms. Her reaction was encouraging, but he sensed that something was missing. It was a moment before he realized what it was—skill. Clover Sherwood had the warmest, sweetest mouth he had ever had the privilege of tasting, but she had no idea how to use it. He halfway opened one eye and found her staring at him.

“I think that ye and young Thomas were verra weel-behaved indeed,” he murmured. “Ye are supposed to close those bonnie blue eyes when ye kiss a mon, wee Clover.”

“Oh. We should not be doing this,” Clover whispered, but she closed her eyes and made no effort to escape his hold. She was finding his kiss delightful and exhilarating. “Someone might see us.”

“A mon ought to be able to kiss the woman who proposes to him.”

Before Clover could think of a response to that impertinence, Ballard was kissing her again. The soft heat of his mouth against hers clouded her mind and fired her blood. When he gently pushed his tongue against her lips, however, she came out of her passion-induced stupor enough to push weakly against his broad chest and open her eyes.

“What are you doing?” she asked in a voice so husky she barely recognized it as her own.

“I am trying to kiss ye, lassie. Doesnae old Thomas have any blood in his veins?”

“Of course he does. He is alive, is he not?”

“I reckon. Now, hush and part those bonnie lips.”

She knew she ought to refuse, to push him away, but she dutifully parted her lips. A small voice in her head pointed out that if he liked kissing her, then he might well accept her proposal. She also decided that it would not hurt to know whether she liked kissing him. So far she had found it almost alarmingly delightful.

When he gently slipped his tongue between her parted lips and stroked the inside of her mouth, Clover decided that she might well like it far more than was good for her. She became so caught up in the rush of feeling his kiss invoked, it took her a moment to realize that he had ended the kiss. It took her a few more moments to sense that he was staring at her. She felt such a surge of embarrassment that she did not want to look at him.

Ballard studied her upturned face. There was a light flush decorating her ivory cheeks, and he savored the feel of her breasts moving against his chest in a quickened rhythm. Her lips glistened with the moisture of his kiss and were still faintly parted, tempting him. She had a very sweet mouth, and Ballard was convinced that he was the first man to taste that sweetness. That knowledge gave him a feeling he found difficult to describe except to say that it was good.

“Ye can open your eyes now, lassie,” he said and caught his breath when she did, for the rich blue was smoky with a lingering passion. He swiftly released her before he answered the invitation he read there. “Weel? What did ye think of your first kiss, wee Clover?”

Clover decided that the man looked far too cocky and she struggled to appear stern and haughty. “My first kiss? Perhaps, Mr. MacGregor, ‘tis not my first, but one of hundreds.”

“Then ye have some powerful poor kissers in Pennsylvania, lass.” He shrugged. “I was just curious.”

“Oh, all right then. It was—well—all right.”

“Only all right, hmmm? Tsk. That could prove to be a problem, kissing and all being such a big part of being married.”

“Is it?”

“Oh, aye, a verra big part.” He struggled to keep his amusement well-hidden.

She grimaced and forced herself to be completely honest, for she knew she could not afford to lose the chance to solve so many of her problems. “Well then, it was pleasant.”

“Only pleasant?”

“I am developing a strong urge to box your ears, Mr. MacGregor.”

He laughed, but his good humor swiftly fled when he saw his brother and cousin striding toward them. “What are ye doing back here so soon?” he demanded of them.

Shelton ran his hand through his thick black hair and eyed Ballard warily. “We saw Sarah Marsten walking about with some fancy mon and got to puzzling over what had happened to ye.”

When Clover saw Ballard glance down the road, then stare intently at his nails, clearly hesitant to reply to his brother’s question, she blurted out, “‘Tis all my fault. I wished to speak to your brother and delayed him so long that Miss Marsten decided to turn her attentions elsewhere.”

“Why should she get herself in a tiff just because Ballard was talking to a little girl?” Shelton’s last two words ended in a squeak as he looked Clover over more carefully.

The way Shelton’s blue-green gaze was fixed upon her breasts, his eyes wide with shock, made Clover feel uncomfortable. The heat of a blush stung her cheeks, and it increased when Lambert aped Shelton’s stare. Clover had the sudden sensation that she was completely exposed to their view, though she successfully quelled the urge to cover herself.

Abruptly noticing what his brother and cousin were doing, Ballard growled, “Do ye two fools want to stop ogling my fiancée?”

Shelton and Lambert both jumped in surprise, then blushed, only to gape suddenly at Ballard. “Your what?” they yelped in unison.

Ballard draped his arm around Clover’s slim shoulders and said, “My bride.”

“What is going on here, Ballard?” demanded Lambert. “You did not even know this girl an hour ago. Hellfire, cousin, when we left you, you were talking about marrying Sarah Marsten.”

“A mon has a perfect right to change his mind.”

“Are you sure about this?” Clover whispered to Ballard. “You do fully understand all the things I explained to you?”

“Aye, lass,” he replied in an equally soft voice, giving his relatives a look that stopped them from edging closer and listening. “Ye have no dowry, no money at all, and ye have two brothers and a mother to care for. Even as ye were telling me all about it, I was pondering your proposal. Now, I got to thinking that ye so badly needing a husband could be a good thing for me. It means ye really want to get hitched and, even though I was willing to spend some time courting me a wife, I wouldnae mind getting right back to Kentucky either. There is also the fact that ye are nae in a position to be particular about where ye must go or what will be there.”

“That is quite true, Mr. MacGregor,” she admitted, somewhat reluctantly, for she regretted that circumstances had stolen all the romance from her life. “Are you able to take in all four of us?”

“Aye. I have a sizable house, although it isnae quite as grand as this one. When I built it I figured I might as weel build it big. I made the shell and we have been finishing it off slowly. It still needs some work. We can put your brothers in a room together and your ma can have a room to herself. Mind ye, Lambert and Shelton abide there with me.”

“If you are willing to accept my three dependents, then I can certainly accept the added work your brother and cousin may cause me. I must be honest, however, Mr. MacGregor. Although I am very good at sewing, needlepoint, and the like, my cooking skills are but newly learned and leave much to be desired.”

“If ye learned some cooking, then ye will be able to learn even more. I have been doing the cooking for the three of us for nearly a dozen years. Reckon even I can lend ye a hand until ye can manage on your own.”

Even though it was a mutually beneficial arrangement, Clover knew that Ballard was being generous. Her problems were now solved. She had found a home and a provider for her family. She should be happy, and she was in a small way, but she also felt a sharp pang of sadness over all she was missing because of the need to arrange her future in such a practical way.

Ballard frowned when he saw a hint of sadness cloud her expression, despite her lingering smile. In a quiet, solemn voice, he said, “Now, lassie, just because we are doing this in a commonsense way and getting married quick doesnae mean I cannae practice a wee bit of courting with ye. We will still be needing to learn about each other.”

“Oh, that is so very nice of you,” she whispered, her voice thin as she fought a sudden urge to cry.

“Here now.” He frowned even more at the telltale glitter of tears in her eyes. “Are ye sure about this plan?”

“Yes, Mr. MacGregor, I am very sure.”

“Weel, there may be other ways to see to the care of your family.” Ballard was surprised to find himself fervently hoping that Clover did not know of any other ways.

She shook her head. “I have spent two long weeks considering all those other ways, even though I thought Thomas was still the answer to my difficulties. There is very little work to be had, and what there is would never pay enough to keep a roof over our heads. Of course, the barkeep at the Sly Dog Tavern indicated that there were ways for a woman to enhance the meager pay he offered, but I decided against that.” She grimaced at the note of bitterness in her voice.

“Of course ye did.” Ballard wondered if he had time to go to the Sly Dog Tavern and instruct the proprietor in some good manners.

“Mr. MacGregor, I left that tavern declaring righteously that I would rather die a thousand deaths than sink to such a depth. I was only a few yards from the door, however, when I realized that ‘twas not only my life at stake. I began to think about how I would feel if I saw the pinch of hunger in my family’s faces. Suddenly I was no longer filled with outrage and no longer so sure that I would never debase myself so. That is the fear that prompts me to approach you so boldly now.”

Ballard thought of his past, of the days when he was a callow youth of seventeen who had been left with the care of Shelton and Lambert, boys of only eight and ten. He tightened his arm around Clover’s shoulders in sympathetic understanding. “Aye, I understand. When I was little more than a beardless lad myself, I was left with the care of those two.” He nodded toward his companions standing a few feet away. “There are a few things I did to keep them fed that I dinnae feel too proud of.”

“Are ye going to tell us what is going on here?” Shelton called.

“I am going to marry Miss Clover Sherwood,” Ballard replied.

“I see. Now, I dinnae mean any offense to ye, lass, but, hellfire, Ballard, ye didnae even ken the girl until an hour ago. And then ye were talking on marrying Sarah Marsten, just like Lambert said.”

“I came to this town to get wed. It seems Miss Marsten wasnae as interested as she allowed me to think she was, while Miss Sherwood is verra interested. There willnae be any time wasted either. Miss Sherwood’s of a mind to set to it, and so am I. That means we can head back to Kentucky real soon.”

Shelton grabbed his brother by the arm and paused to smile apologetically at Clover. “Miss, I am of a strong mind to have me a wee talk with my brother in private. It isnae because of ye personally, truly, but I—”

“That is quite all right,” Clover said even as Ballard was tugged away from her side. “I do understand.”

“Ye are going to make her feel real insulted,” Ballard reprimanded when the three men stopped far enough away from Clover so that they could talk quietly without being overheard.

“I dinnae mean to do that and weel ye ken it,” Shelton muttered, then snapped, “Hellfire and damnation, Ballard! Ye cannae expect us not to wonder what the devil is going on.”

“Fair enough. What is going on is that I have found me a wife, just like I said I would.”

“But you do not even know this girl,” Lambert protested.

“I ken enough,” answered Ballard. “I will have plenty of time to learn the rest later.”

“And just how much can you possibly learn after only an hour?”

“Enough, I told ye. She is a lady, just like Sarah is. Clover has all the same learning and polish.”

“I dinnae ken what ye want that for,” grumbled Shelton.

“Then ye have nae been listening close, brother. We are nae going to be set firm where we are now for the rest of our lives. We are doing fine and we are going to do even better. Aye, until we are equal to the folks who buy our goods. I am not talking about turning our backs on where we sprung from, but of learning how to be a part of both worlds. I want us to be able to go to a barn dance with the Mahoneys one day and then to tea with Mr. Potsdam the next and to feel at ease in both places.

“Now, tell the truth, lads, didnae ye feel a might awkward when Mr. Potsdam had us in his fine rich house for a wee drink after we sold him those horses last month?” He smiled when they reluctantly nodded. “Aye, so did I. That was when I got to thinking that having a highborn, refined lady for a wife could help us. She can teach us some of them pretty manners.”

“Weel, I reckon I can see the sense of that right enough, but it still isnae a good reason to marry the lass.”

“It isnae the only reason, Shelton. Ye have to admit she is a bonnie wee lass. She also has a powerful need of a husband. It seems her pa made some bad investments, lost all their money, and shot himself a fortnight ago.” Ballard nodded when Lambert’s and Shelton’s faces were briefly transformed by shock. “Then her beau up and jilted her because she has no more money. She is also responsible for her two wee brothers and her mother. The only kin she has willnae help and they all have to be out of this house in about two weeks. Aye, that wee lass is in sore need of help.”

“I feel powerful sorry for her, Ballard, but are ye sure ye can take on the care of four more folk?”

“I am sure. Aye, it could mean that our progress slows a wee bit, but I will have me a wife and one who chose to wed me, who picked me out because she is in real need. That can only be a good thing.”

“I reckon. Weel, she seems a nice enough lass and if ye are verra certain—”

“Verra certain, Shelton. I have a real need for a wife.” He winked and the two youths laughed. “I also have a real hankering to start my family. Hellfire, most men my age have a bairn or two made already. Aye, the more I think on this, the better I like it.”

“Weel, if ye are that sure, I reckon ‘tis fine with me,” Shelton said, and Lambert nodded.

Clover tensed slightly as the three men moved back toward her. The whole situation was a little mad and it would not surprise her at all if Ballard’s kinsmen had been diligently talking him out of it. If they had been, she fervently prayed they had failed.

Ballard stopped in front of her, saw the hint of fear in her eyes, and smiled. “Do ye think I ought to meet your kinfolk before I go and speak to the preacher?”

“Are we still to be married then?” she asked, unable to conceal her relief.

“Aye, lass. Do ye have any objections to it being done quickly?”

“No, none at all. If that is what you wish, then it is all right with me.”

“Weel then, do we meet with your kin now or later?”

“Now, I suppose,” Clover murmured as she wondered how she was going to break the news to her mother. “Do you need any furniture, Mr. MacGregor?” she asked as she stood and picked up her cloak.

“We dinnae have verra much and that is a fact.” He collected their glasses. “We have to be careful what we try to take with us though. It will have to be toted a fair long way, downriver and over some verra poor roads.”

“Ah, of course. I had not given that any thought. Will I have time to sell off the pieces you do not want?”

“Ye willnae be giving them to your sister, eh?” He grinned in response to her look of mild disgust.

“I think not.” Clover opened the door, silently giving thanks that someone had remembered to unbolt it after Alice had stomped off. “I suppose I will inform dear Alice that the furniture is up for sale if she feels inclined to buy some.”

Ballard looked around as Clover led him into the front hall, then signaled that he and the others should follow her. The signs of past wealth were clear to see in the rich warm woods, the remaining pieces of elegant furniture, and even the heavy wallpaper. When the Sherwoods had fallen, they had fallen far. Ballard could not help but wonder how the family would adapt to the life he offered them in Kentucky.

Then he inwardly shrugged. The Sherwoods may have possessed a great deal, but now they had nothing, and he was sure Clover had fully accepted her fate. He was certain she was of a mind to be glad of what he could offer. What he could not even begin to guess, however, was how her mother and little brothers were going to react.

They had all stepped into the front parlor. Ballard studied Clover’s family as she introduced everybody. Agnes Sherwood was still very attractive, although plumper than he liked, and her blond hair and smooth complexion showed few signs of age. The twins appeared to be a lively, bright pair of lads, and Ballard felt his qualms about them ease. Copperhaired and blue-eyed, the boys showed a hint of deviltry, but Ballard sensed that they were essentially good boys.

Clover was so filled with dread that she had to clear her throat before she could speak. “Mama, Mr. MacGregor and I have been talking outside all this time.”

Agnes frowned a little. “Does this have to do with the plan the boys said you had devised?”

“Yes, Mama.” Clover decided it would be best to speak bluntly. “Mr. MacGregor came to Langleyville looking for a wife, and my plan was to get him to choose me. He has. We are to be married as soon as possible, and all of us will travel with him to his home in Kentucky.”