The Matchmaker by Kay Hooper

do, feel things she didn't want to feel. Another man who wanted to use her to satisfy his own needs no matter what it cost her.
    She managed to get through the evening, though watching Adrian smile at Lissa over the chessboard and tease her made Julia's stomach sicken and churn. For the first time, she wondered if she might be wrong in hiding the truth from her sister. Perhaps for Lissa's own protection she should teach her what men could hide beneath charming smiles. Perhaps innocence was some thing else that cost too much.
    Julia was still undecided when they went to bed that night, but the morning brought the only decision possible. Whether Lissa did or did not deserve to know the truth, Julia decided that her sister's ignorance of what was going on was her safeguard. If she knew, she'd confront Adrian, and that was the one thing Julia had sworn to herself would never happen.
    Adrian left for his office at the usual time, already looking wilted and irritable from the heat; Julia dreaded the mood he'd be in by the time he came home. Lissa helped around the house during the morning, then went out shopping with two of her friends. Julia tried to keep busy, but two days of steady work had accomplished everything necessary for the party, and by early afternoon she found herself at loose ends.
    For the first time, the house felt hot to her, smothering almost, but she was still wary of venturing out in public for fear of encountering Cyrus. She considered and discarded an impulse to walk in the garden; there were no shady spots out there, and most of the midsum mer flowers had been burned dry by the unrelenting sun, so it would hardly be a pleasant walk. Without really deciding to do so, she went to the stables in back of the house.
    It was relatively cool inside the wide hall and very peaceful. Only the faint sounds of movement from the drowsy horses disturbed the silence. The men who cared for the horses were absent, so she was alone with them. Lissa had taken one of the carriages and a driver, giving in to Julia's suggestion because of the heat; Adrian had taken the other this morning, planning to send his groom and stableman to look over some horses due to be auctioned the following day.
    For a few minutes she wandered from stall to stall, speaking softly to the horses and stroking satiny necks. Out of the house she felt more peaceful, though it was a tenuous peace easily disturbed. The shock of his voice shattered it.
    "The horses are comfortable with you. I thought they would be."
    She whirled around, staring in alarm. "Are you out of your mind?" she whispered.
    Cyrus Fortune stepped out of the shadows, smiling faintly. "No one saw me come in," he said, knowing why she was so disturbed. "No one ever has to know I was here. The grooms will be gone for hours yet, and Drummond and your sister as well."
    Julia took a step back as he came toward her, but there was no way for her to retreat farther without cornering herself in an empty stall. She felt emotionally cornered. "Leave me alone," she said shakily, control demolished along with peace.
    Cyrus stopped immediately, a little more than an arm's length away, and his smile faded. In the dimness of the barn hall, his black eyes were liquid. "Are you afraid of me, Julia?" There was surprise and something else in his deep voice, something she could have sworn was anxiety.
    Her laugh sounded a little wild to her own ears, and she wondered dimly if she had finally crossed the line into madness. "Afraid? Whatever I say, you won't stay away from me. Shouldn't I be afraid?"
    "No. I won't force myself on you, if you've that in your mind. I want you willing." He still sounded surprised.
    She closed her eyes, struggling to regain some control over her emotions. "I don't want an affair, can't you under stand that? Please, just leave me alone. I won't. .. I won't break my marriage vows." After a moment he said, "You're trembling." He reached his hand toward hers, and when she flinched he