“If she does, it would serve her right, taking all that money from a poor widow.”

“A very rich widow.”

“Not very rich.”

He felt unaccountably exasperated with her. “Come on, Allison, you’re fixed for life—not like poor Libby.”

“And how do you know I’m fixed for life?” she said, pausing in her attack on the chop.

“I have my sources,” Stone said.

She cocked her head and looked at him with mock suspicion. “Stone Barrington, have you been checking up on me?”

“Checking up on people is a big part of my work,” he said.

“And just what did you find out?”

“That you’re who you say you are, and Paul was who you say he was, and you’re very rich, that’s all. You could easily afford the four hundred grand.”

“I hope you didn’t find out anything bad about me,” she said, resuming her dinner.

“No, I didn’t. Is there something bad about you I should know?”

“Only in my own mind, I guess.”

“You been thinking bad thoughts about yourself?”

“Well, I seduced you, when I knew perfectly well that you had a girl.”

“I wouldn’t feel too badly about that; I knew what I was doing. I was mad at Arrington for not showing up down here and even madder at her for running off to California.”

“With Vance Calder.”

“Yeah, with Vance Calder. I have to admit, that didn’t sit too well.”

“So I just got lucky and caught you in a weak moment?”

“There wasn’t all that much luck involved,” Stone said ruefully. “I have a lot of weak moments.”

“You mean you weren’t faithful to Arrington, even before you met me?”

“Oh, yes, I was faithful to her, but not out of trying to be; we were just together all the time, and I was content, and I didn’t give much thought to other women.”

“Were you living together?”

“Yes.”

“I sometimes wish I’d lived with somebody before Paul. Maybe I would have had a better idea of what it was like to be married.” She was uncharacteristically quiet as she took her dishes to the galley.

“Is something else bothering you?” he asked.

“I guess I’ve been feeling a little guilty about how much fun we’ve been having. The sex, I mean; that’s the only fun I’ve had lately. I mean, Paul’s only been dead for a short time, and I confess, I’ve already been looking forward to a new kind of life.” She smiled at him. “In addition to inordinately enjoying your body.” She sat down beside him and held his hand.