"If we're in the market for wishes, we can wish for both," she said. "You know you had me sold on Italy from listening to you talk about it when you first arrived."

Marcello grinned. "I can take you to meet my mother and then we can share awful mother stories," he teased. "Of course I'll take you to Italy," he promised. "You'll love it."

Niabheara grinned, then twirled a full circle and bounced on her toes from pure happiness. "Oh! If I hadn't already been away from home for so long I'd say let's go now! You make me want to steal you away to somewhere!"

Fortunately she quickly realized that breaking into spontaneous little dances probably was silly-looking no matter how kind Marcello was about it. She stopped herself, looking flushed and giddy. "Alas, there is no really romantic place to be stolen away to on Avalon in the dead of winter."

He reached for her and tugged her close. "I find the current surroundings perfectly romantic. Anyhow," he said, with a moment's thought. "If there were, we ought to be sending Goneril and her Queensman there. I know how you feel about her, but he's perfectly decent, and I quite like the idea of having another excuse to invite him back."

She looked doubtful. "You really think it's a good idea to encourage this?" she said. "We'll have excuses enough to invite them back e'en without your sister."

"You know, something Scarlet and Black kept telling me, and then I understood when I was speaking to the Queensman...Goneril isn't Mira. She's three years older, for one, and that can be a lot. And I don't see why two people who are very fond of each other should be discouraged."

"I wasn't suggesting wrenching them apart with a hammer and chisel," she said, amused. "But . . . well, he is Queensman. He still strikes me as a little stiff and cold, but if your sister is fond of stiff, cold men, who am I to stand in her way? And honestly, from all I've seen of her, if he does anything to upset her, she'll only just slap him."

Marcello grinned. "Precisely. She can stand up for herself. And I think he respects her more than any man she'll find in England. If she's going to have a fleeting romance, it's much better for her to do it here."

Niabheara let out a sigh that sounded exactly as if she was succumbing to his reasoning against her own better nature. "I don't think it matters much either way. From the sound of her it sounds as if she means to go on meeting him, will-you or ne'er-so, so we'd might as well give it the formal nod of acknowledgement."

Marcello chuckled. "Welcome to the family and all?" he asked teasingly. "We could scare him away if we decide we don't like him."