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From the other side of her Kara could feel her uncle silently willing her to say "yes." Even the slender blonde who hovered at Uncle James' side seemed to be allied against her. The tension was more than she could bear as all eyes focused on her.
    "I do," she whispered in a dull voice. And then it was all over. There was an almost audible sigh of relief as the tension dissipated in the room.
    "Repeat after me, 'With this ring I thee wed'," the official hurried on. Kara hadn't thought about the ring. What, she wondered, would Matt Jordan use? But he seemed unconcerned as he turned toward her, drew a fine garnet ring from his pocket and slipped it over Kara's slender finger. It fit perfectly, and Kara felt an involuntary twinge of pleasure as she looked down at the jewel sparkling on her hand. How would he have found time to rush down into the village and purchase it? she wondered. She smiled up at him as he leaned over to kiss her warmly on the mouth. Her spirits lifted despite herself.
    "By the power vested in me by the state of Maryland," continued the justice of the peace, "I declare you husband and wife." Kara and Matt Jordan embraced once again and Uncle James, wiping his brow in relief, pecked Kara on the cheek.
    "That's a good girl," he whispered to the new bride. "We'll straighten this mess out later."
    As Uncle James stepped back, the blonde moved forward and said, "Congratulations." She embraced Kara in a formal hug. The new bride received the woman's attentions stiffly.
    "Thank you," she muttered in reply, trying to make her gratitude sound genuine. But it was difficult for her to conceal the feelings of disapproval she had toward the woman who must be Uncle James' latest playmate.
    Out of the corner of her eye, Kara saw her uncle slip the justice a crisp $100 bill. Then the little man hurried out the door.
    Turning to Matt, she looked shyly up at the tall, handsome figure at her side. "The ring is beautiful," she murmured. "However did you find the time to pick it out for me? And how did you know my ring size?" She looked up at him in surprised admiration.
    "I didn't," he confessed casually. "And the ring size was just luck. The ring belongs to Monica, who was kind enough to lend it to us for the wedding. You'd better return it to her now. We'll get you something of your own later."
    Kara felt herself going cold. Quickly she stripped the ring off her finger and thrust it into Monica's outstretched hand. "That was thoughtful of you," Kara said through gritted teeth.
    "Oh, it was nothing," the cool blonde replied, slipping the gem back on her well-manicured finger.
    To Kara the ring that she had momentarily treasured seemed now a symbol of this whole farce of a marriage. It was nothing but a sham. She stared bleakly at her bare ring finger and wondered what lay ahead.

Chapter Four

    Kara sank down into the black leather bucket seat of Matt's silver gray Porsche. She half-listened to the low throb of the powerful engine as her new husband expertly swung out of the cabin's drive and headed the shiny sportscar toward Washington, D.C.
    Behind them, Uncle James' black Lincoln Continental turned off in the opposite direction toward the village. He and his companion were speeding away to file the pre-dated marriage papers at the County Courthouse and speak to the caretaker about cutting up the fallen tree and repairing the damage to the roof.
    As Kara and Matt flew past rolling green hills, weathered barns and silos, and pastures full of grazing cows, Matt began enumerating the tasks that had to be done before the day's end. But when he told her in an assured voice that they would first stop at her apartment to get some of her clothes before going to his town house in Columbia, Kara sat up straight and glared at him in outrage.
    "Surely you don't think I'm going to move in with you?" she protested. "Why, I hardly know you. I thought this marriage was only going to be a show for your campaign. Nobody said we actually had to