Yet another time Candy was going downstairs when she suddenly heard a hushed quarrel.

"It's the only god-damn time in all my life that I've asked you to do me a favor that would cost you nothing, and you refuse?"

It was Neil's voice. He was almost hissing, barely suppressing his anger.

"Come on, go on. I see through you, I know all your tricks," Archie answered him in a whisper. It was strange – Archie had always been more hot-tempered than Neil, but now he was talking in a perfectly calm manner, as though he was in control of the situation.

The girl went two steps down.

"You will not deceive me, like you deceived Candy, you got it? You can stop showing off in front of me, 'cause I've known you for a long time, unfortunately. Make up with Candy, that's quite a request from Neil Legan! What next? Wanna help the poor? It isn't even funny. But don't worry, I already wrote to Albert, soon everything will be great. He will come here and cancel this crazy wedding. Everything will fall into place, and Candy will finally tell us how've been blackmailing her."

"You did what?!"

"You heard it! I wrote to Mis–"

"Stop it!"

Miss White showed up right on time, because the men had already gripped each other's collars, as though trying to choke each other.

"Stop it!" the girl asked again and, to Archie's resentment, softly put her hand on Neil's forearm, and he unclasped his hands. Damn it! Cornwell quit hold of Legan's collar, too, and his arms drooped.

"What are you doing here?" Legan got worried. "Why did you come?"

"I came to talk to Madam Elroy and your Mom," Archie saw Candy give such a sweet smile to this insect, and it was so repulsive that he looked away.

Then her radiant eyes looked at him, and Cornwell sighed.

"Archie…" the girl whispered softly.

Legan, in turn, was looking at his cousin like a bitterest enemy. Perhaps, he was one at that moment.

"Candy, I don't know what's going on, but trust me – I'll get you out of this madness," Archie wouldn't surrender and looked steadily in his friend's green eyes. "I won't let you ruin your life just for nothing. I wrote to Mister Albert, he will come soon. He is the only one who can handle this scoundrel."

Candy blinked, and her fiancé took her by the elbow.

"Let's go."

The girl obediently put her hand in Neil's hand. They walked towards the exit, and Legan turned away.

"You're a jerk, cousin. A jerk."

"Spare such words for your brothels!" Archie shouted back.

All right, that's okay. He just has to wait. Soon William Andree will come and put an end to this.

This scumbag has clearly done something to Candy. Something that made her pretend so realistically that she loves him. Only a person like Albert can figure this all out.

Candy will be grateful to him for saving her from this pipsqueak's claws.

The lovers were at their favorite place – sitting on the bench under a branchy tree in the Chicago National Park, overlooking the lake. Candy was crying bitterly, wiping her face with a handkerchief, and Neil was hugging her by the shoulders.

"Please, calm down," he tried to console her."The hell with him. Don't listen to him."

"Don't… say it…" the girl sobbed. "It's not his fault. He doesn't believe… What can I do to make him believe? I wanted my friends… to be with me on this day… to be happy for me! I wanted it so much…"

"Well, you can't knock some brains into his head… So we'll have to make do."

Miss White took a deep breath so calm down.

"Maybe we really should've married secretly, and then tell everyone?"

"That wouldn't change much. I told you we should go to Florida. Start a new life, all by ourselves."

"But I've got a job here."

"Anyway, they'll have to accept the fact that we're together. Why the hell do they keep meddling in our business? We have informed them, our job here is done."

Candy hugged Neil, feeling the warmth of his body. He hugged her even closer, and the girl's heart beat faster. She instinctively reached her hand and touched his chest, where, under a thin silken shirt…

"Let's go," Daniel suddenly started up. "I'll drive you home."

The girl looked at him inquiringly, but Neil's face was impenetrable.

"Will you at least kiss me goodbye?"

If she had only known her power over him.

"Of course."

Neil carefully took his fiancée by the shoulders and pecked her on the nose.

"Don't tempt me ahead of time."

They were driving along the evening streets, and the air was filled with silence and tranquility.

Then Candy and Neil were standing at Miss White's door, again, not able to part. Daniel frowned, as if he wanted to say something, but was unsure about it.

"What's wrong?" Candy asked, always sensitive to other people's mood.

"I thought… Maybe you shouldn't put on a green dress for our engagement?"

"Why?!"

"The seller said the green color brings bad luck."

"That's nonsense!" Miss White looked in her fiancé's face, amazed at his seriousness, and uttered a laugh. "Cut it out! Since when have you become so superstitious?"

He cast down his eyes.

"I don't even know. I guess, since I became happy. I don't believe in my happiness. Somehow I've got a feeling everything's going to end soon. Any trifle could ruin it. I've always been self-confident, but now even the color of the dress scares me…"

Neil hugged his lover even closer, as if she was slipping away.

"You're being so silly…" the girl whispered. "And what color do you think brings happiness?"

"Let me think. Maybe yellow, or pink."

"Then tomorrow we'll have the dress redone to pink. Just to be on the safe side."