Betty smiled as she took the veil and replaced it under the glass dome. "Now," she said, turning to Olivia, "I'm sure you are tired after your long flight. I'll show you to your room."

As they walked down the long hallway, Olivia only half listened to Betty's chatter. She was trying to close her mind to frightening sensations-the feeling of familiarity, the knowledge that she had walked these halls before.

“Dinner is at seven; we are rather informal. Breakfast is served in your room unless you are an early riser and wish to dine on the veranda."

"I'm an early riser. I was always the first one to arrive at the library."

Betty didn't doubt it. She opened the door and the strong scent of roses permeated the air, a smell so nostalgic that Olivia leaned against the wall, trying to stop her body from quaking.

"Are you ill?" Betty asked in concern, noticing how pale her guest was.

"No. I'm just tired. You must have other things to do- I can get settled in myself."

Betty looked concerned. "If you are sure. Perhaps I should send Rosalie to help you unpack."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I like to do my own unpacking."

Betty smiled. "If there is anything you need, just let me know."

Olivia watched Betty Allendale move down the hallway with a gracefulness known to a bygone time, or perhaps it was a gracefulness inherent in Southern women. Then Olivia entered the bedroom and closed the door behind her. For a long moment, she kept her eyes cast downward, almost afraid of what she might find. She had requested Jade St. Clair's bedroom, and she already knew what it looked like.

Slowly she raised her eyes-yes, the double doors that led to a balcony, the fireplace carved with cherubs, the poster bed, they were all the same. Here, as downstairs, there were changes, but subtle ones. Olivia hoped that the rose arbor she had so often dreamed about would still be in the garden.

Stiffly, almost reluctantly, she moved across the room, holding her breath. Taking her courage in hand, she stood on the balcony, her hands gripping the cast-iron railing. Yes, there it was, the white arbor covered with climbing roses. It hadn't changed at all!

"I'm home," she said to no one in particular, wondering how she could explain her knowledge of a house she had never been in before.

The last crimson rays of the sun lingered against the horizon as Olivia descended the stairs to the dining room. Soft candlelight mellowed the rooms she passed through and she felt more alive than she had ever felt before. She dined on baked chicken served in wine sauce. Afterwards she went into the parlor and curled up on the overstuffed sofa while Betty Allendale played the piano and the maid served fruit punch and coffee.

At last, feeling contented and at peace, Olivia wished her hostess good night and made her way up the stairs. For so long she had imagined herself here at Bridal Veil, and she was not disappointed by what she had found. Boston seemed so far away, another world, another time-mis was where she belonged; she knew that now.

When Olivia reached her bedroom, she undressed and slipped into her nightgown. She turned off the lamp and the room was illuminated by the soft moonlight that spilled through the open door that led to the balcony.

Climbing into the soft featherbed, she sank into comfort of the mind and body, feeling warm and protected. Lying where Jade St. Clair had once lain, she could feel the young girl's thoughts, experience her emotions and her loves.

Olivia was no longer frightened, for there had been love in this house. She could feel it. Jade had known the love of her mother and father and a much younger sister. She'd had a friend named Charlene, with whom she'd shared her deepest secrets.

While Olivia knew well the faces of Jade's family members, and even the face of the man Jade had loved, she had never seen an image of Jade herself. With new understanding, Olivia realized that was because she had been seeing life through Jade's eyes.

She knew that with sleep would come the dreams, and she welcomed them. She had come here for a purpose, although she had not known it until now. She was here to help the tormented ghost that walked the halls of Bridal Veil Inn.

"I don't know exactly why, Jade St. Clair, but I am here," she whispered.

Was it her imagination, or had she heard a sigh from somewhere in the darkened corners of the room?

Chapter Two

In the fallen dusk, Olivia's steps were guided by the light from the Chinese lanterns that danced against stone walls. With one purpose in mind, she moved down the path at the back of the house in the direction of the rose arbor, knowing that something out of the ordinary was about to happen. She could hear music and laughter in the background, and was puzzled. Betty must be entertaining.

When she reached the arbor, Olivia went inside and sat on a cushioned bench. She was feeling sad and could not have said why.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Olivia pressed herself back against the bench, not wanting to see anyone just now. A form in the shape of a man detached itself from the shadows, and she knew at once that it was Raige Belmanoir!

His voice was deep and laced with humor. "I know you are here, Jade, so do not try to hide from me."

Olivia realized she must be dreaming again, only she was not seeing the dream as a third person, an onlooker-she was Jade St. Clair!

She watched as Raige's bold stare turned into a flashing smile. Her eyes fixed anxiously on his while he appraised her. She had first become aware that she loved Raige when she was only twelve years old. Tonight she was celebrating her seventeenth birthday, and he had not paid the slightest attention to her until this moment.

"I just came out for a breath of air," she said, fanning herself with an ivory fan, knowing her cheeks were flushed, but not from the heat. "It was stifling in the ballroom."

Raige moved closer to her and took the fan, her birthday gift from Tyrone, carelessly tossing it onto the cushion. "It is little wonder you escaped. Every gentleman in the room, be he old or young, wanted to dance with you."

"Not every gentleman, Raige. You did not ask me to dance," she said flirtatiously.

"Don't do that, Jade."

Her lashes swept over her eyes, a tactic that had worked magic on countless admirers. "Do what?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"Never treat me like those simpletons who are satisfied with just a smile. It's more than flirting I want from you, Jade."

Excitement throbbed through her body like a raging tide. "I was not flirting with you. I don't know what you mean."

His voice was deep. "Do you not? Let's just say that I have an aversion to being just one of the adoring crowd."

She looked at him, admiring the cut of his green tailcoat. The matching trousers hugged his lean body, and an elaborately tied cravat circled his throat. He was tall and lithe, slender of waist and wide of shoulder, quite the handsomest man in three parishes. She raised her eyes to his, suddenly feeling shy.

He smiled as if he knew what she was thinking and feeling. Then he took her hand and studied the tapered fingers. "How could you not know that I am jealous of every man that looks at you?"

Jerking free, she clasped her hands behind her, still feeling the warmth of his touch. Jade felt as if butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. Of course Raige did not mean what he was saying; he had always teased her.

"You have been in Europe for almost a year, Raige; I believe you never gave me a thought in all mat time."

"You are wrong-I thought of you. And now I have returned to find you have grown into a young lady." His voice deepened and she thought she might faint when he sat down beside her. He was so near that she could feel his breath warm against her cheek.

"I have been waiting for you to grow up, Jade, and now you have."

She could imagine him saying this same thing to other females and it hurt so badly. Raige could have any woman he wanted. She had seen how silly girls simpered and giggled when he walked by. She had heard them sigh and make remarks about his manliness. She did not want him to think that she was like them.

"Please don't tease me anymore, Raige."

Standing, he pulled Jade up beside him, his eyes sweeping over her golden hair and dipping down to assess her beautiful face. "And why is mat?"

The night was like black velvet, without benefit of moon or stars. His eyes were probing, seeking, entering her mind and making her ache and tremble. Her tongue flicked out to moisten her dry lips, a move that was not lost to him. It was difficult for her to concentrate with him standing so near, touching her.

"As… as you said, I have grown up."

He touched her hair, his hand drifting down the silken curls, causing her to shiver with longing.

"It was your eyes that haunted me while I was away. Did you know I have never seen a woman with green eyes like yours?" Gently his hand went to her waist and he pulled her to him. She did not resist.

He took a guarded breath. "I have wondered what I would do when this moment came, Jade. Have you any notion how a man can ache for a woman? While I was gone, I could imagine the numerous admirers who might come to your door beseeching you to marry them."

There was fever in her blood and longing in her breast. He was only toying with her, but what did it matter-at last she was in his arms. "You have quite an imagination," she said, trying to show that she was immune to his charm.

"You missed me, Jade," he said with bold determination. "You cannot deny it."

At that moment Jade knew that she could not bear to be just another of Raige's many conquests. She was determined to shake his cool confidence as he had shaken hers. "You hardly crossed my mind at all," she said, turning her back to him so he would not read the truth in her eyes. "And, yes, there have been many gentlemen who have asked me to be their wife, while you do no more than torment me, trying to make me think you really care."