TO CATCH A WOLF By Susan Krinard

Still, he walked a little faster as he approached the main house with its imposing stone exterior and sprawling, baronial magnificence. Long Park might run cattle, but at its center was a mansion a foreign prince might envy. Niall Munroe was not one to accept less than the best for himself or his sister. Athena would be as comfortable here as in her own home on Fourteenth Street.

And there was always the chance, however small, that she had come.

He entered the house by a side door reserved for the servants and followed the narrow hall to the ground floor guest rooms that had been reserved for Harry, Caitlin,

Ulysses, and a few of the others. Since Morgan slept in the barn, Harry and Ulysses shared a room, while Caitlin had one to herself.

The door to Harry’s room was open, releasing the smell of pipe smoke into the hall. Caitlin’s door also stood ajar.

“… can think of no reason why Harry writes so incessantly unless he hopes to effect a particular response from Miss Munroe,” Ulysses’s voice said. “I know he is fond of the young lady, but he has never been an admirable correspondent. I am bound to conclude that you have had some influence upon him, Caitlin.”

“Me? What a suspicious mind you have, Uly. Naturally Harry wants to keep her informed of—”

“The gravity of your condition? His deep concern about your state of mind and indefinite prospects for recovery?”

“Can I help it if Harry exaggerates?”

“He knows as well as I that your injury is almost healed.”

“But Athena heard the doctor say it was serious. She had no reason to believe I would recover so quickly.”

Morgan folded his arms and leaned against the wall just outside the room. Ulysses coughed discreetly.

“Miss Munroe is of a naturally altruistic and accommodating nature and is apt to consider the welfare of others before her own. She made certain promises to her brother as a condition of our remaining here for the winter. Have you weighed the practical consequence of fomenting domestic rebellion?”

“If you mean that Niall Munroe might not get his own way for once—”

“You may grant, Firefly, that my preference for reason over passion has given me reliable powers of observation. It is my judgement that Mr. Munroe may only be pushed so far before he pushes back.”

“And it is mine that Niall is not nearly as heartless as he thinks he is.”

“Your heart tells you this because you believe that you are in love with him.”

Caitlin burst-out laughing. “Your almighty powers of observation, Uly? When were you ever in love?”

Ulysses was silent just a beat too long. “A man of my nature—and stature—is wisest to avoid the tender emotions and the complications that result therefrom. But I am human. I can recognize infatuation when I see it.”

Morgan waited for Caitlin to deny it. When she did not, he let his hands fall to his sides and took an involuntary step toward the open door.

“I don’t know,” Caitlin whispered. “He and I—we have nothing in common. I’m no innocent, Uly. I am much older than I look. I know that Niall Munroe is a man—only a man—and I will not let him destroy the lives of the people I care about.”

“Athena and Morgan.”

“And you, and Harry, and the others. All we need do is get through this winter, and our luck will change for good. I know it.”

Ulysses sighed, and his feet rapped on the floor as he hopped from his seat. “I have no right to tell you what you should or should not do,” he said. “It is even possible that your faith and loyalty will prove more formidable than the untrammeled wealth and power of a man like Munroe. But be careful. Devotion exacts a heavy price.”

Morgan stepped aside as Ulysses walked through the door. The dwarf paused, looked up at Morgan, and gently closed the door behind him.

“I will not ask if you overheard our discussion,” he said.

“What is this about letters to Athena?” Morgan demanded.

“That you must ask Caitlin. I see that you have decided to remain with us another day.”

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