she commanded. “I really feel that I need one.”He crossed to the cabinet, standing with his back to her as he mixed their drinks.“Tired?” he asked sympathetically. “You’ve had quite a day, you know.”“Not tired.” Olivia paused deliberately. “Only a little distressed.”He made no answer to that, carrying their drinks to the fire and setting one down on a low table beside a convenient armchair for her.“How long had you known this girl before you married her?” she asked when she could not tolerate his restrained silence any longer. “Not very long, I should imagine.”“Does length of acquaintance matter?”If Olivia had understood him as well as she imagined she did, the look in his eyes would have advised caution on her part, but she was completely obsessed with what she had to do. She had already convinced herself that it was her duty and done entirely for his sake.“Of course it matters!” she declared, sipping at her drink to moisten her dry lips. “You don’t get to know anyone in a matter of weeks.
