Hey! I'm back, sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter out.  I was
kinda busy.   My new editor is Angel Bliss and she's fixing this up for me,
so it should be better edited.  Sorry to everyone else who asked, I drew
names out of a hat.
?Disclaimers:  These characters do not belong to me, blah blah blah.
Thank you EVERYONE who e-mailed me with comments!!!!  I love hearing from
you.
Remember to e-mail me!!  Thankz again, I hope you like this chapter.  There
should only be two more and a epilogue, but you never know.

~Always and Forever~  Chapter 4
"I had the best time!!!  I cannot believe that we're now part of the ton!
We are bastards after all."  Mina exclaimed happily.
	"It was kind of boring, you know, all the girls chatting about who
was handsome and who was available to snag.  I'd rather spend time in the
country anyday with my horses.  The only person who I danced with who was
remotely interesting was the Earl of Bystle.  He breeds horses for a living,
it must be wonderful to have horses that aren't old and lame."  Lita sighed
dreaming about them.

	"Andrew is just perfect!"
	"Mina!!!  You can't call him that, he's a viscount and heir to a
duchy.  That is so impolite."
	"Well he invited me to.  Did you see the way that he glared at all
the other men who asked me to dance?  It was so romantic and he doesn't
even care that I was born out of wedlock.  I can't wait to see him again."
Mina sighed as well.

	"You'll see him tomorrow, do you remember that he's coming to take
you on a ride through Hydes Park?" (AN: Sorry if the park's name is spelt
wrong, I'm not sure how it's spelt.)   Lita told her practically.
	"OF COURSE!!!!"  Mina shrieked and then all three girls fell onto
the bed with
giggles.  "Who did you dance with Serena?  Did anyone catch your eye.
There were many gentlemen staring at you."
	"No,"  Serena replied crossly still angry at Darien.  They had spent
the carriage ride home together and he was cold and aloof.  It bothered
Serena that he didn't seem to care about anything, he was cold and seemed
to be angry at someone... something...
	"You must have noticed someone!"  Mina continued to probe.  She had
seen Serena dancing the first dance with Darien and they seemed to get
along quite well. Serena hadn't laughed like that with any of her other
partners, but on the carriage ride home they didn't even speak more than
two words to each other.  It was strange because Serena kept insisting
that he was an arrogant snob, but Darien didn't seem like one, he just
seemed cold as if he didn't want to let himself feel things. "I saw you
dancing with the Marquess, Serena."

	"So?  We danced, he was trying to escape a lady who was hounding him."
	"You two seemed to be talking enthusiastically.  Maybe the marquess
isn't as bad as he seems."

	"You're right."  Serena replied.
	"Of course I..." Serena cut her off,
	"He's worse."
	"But Serena...."
	"I don't want to talk about him anymore alright?"
	"Fine."


	**********************************************************

	The next day Andrew and Mina were out in a carriage.  Mina spoke up,
"Andrew,do you know why Serena hates the Marquess much?"


	"I don't know, they didn't seem to take to each other.  They barely
spoke at all."

	"I saw them dancing and they were talking quite a bit, they were
both smiling and laughing."

	Andrew was so shocked at that that he nearly ran the carriage into
a tree. "What?  Darien laughed?"  'Could she be the one to help Darien?
They seem to hate each other, but as they say, 'there's a in line between
love and hate'  I have to get them together, but how?'

	"Yes, I think that they make a wonderful couple, her light to his
darkness,
that sort of thing.  When they're near each other I could almost feel the
tension in the air.  I think that they belong together but they don't
know it yet."

	"I think so too, let's help them along."  Andrew grinned and then said,

	"How about I drag him to the next ball where you're going."

	"That would be wonderful."  Mina beamed happily and Andrew's breathe
caught in his throat.  Mina was absolutly excusite.

	"Enough about them, let's talk some more about you,"  he drawled
making Mina giggle.

		******************************************************

	"Andrew, not again!  I can't believe I let you talk me into this
all over again.  I'm serious that this is the last time, I'm not going to
let you do it
again.  You're my best friend, but I can't stand going to all these balls
with the matching-making Mama's looking at me as if I were a piece of meat.
I hate being in the crowd, I'd rather be in a club."  Darien was furious
at himself because he let Andrew talk him into going to ANOTHER ball.
As if last night's wasn't enough.  He had to escape Lady Beryl's clutches
as well as everyone elses. He only regretted making Serena mad at him, it
was strange but Darien couldn't get her out of his head.  He saw again
how she looked when she was angry at him, her eye's blazing, her hands
coiled into fists and how she looked utterly enchanting like that. 'I
didn't just think that, I didn't......did I?  No."

	"Darien, I don't want to look after three debutants as well as look
out for all those Mama's.  Please look after at least one.  How about
Serena, she's sweet. That means I'll watch out for two, Mina and her
friend."

	"I don't get along with that chit."  Darien pulled himself out of
his morose thinking.

	"It doesn't matter, she's has to have someone watching out for her.
She is sonaïve. She won't realize if someone is trying to compromise her.
She does have quite a respectable dowry."  Andrew pleaded.

	"Fine, but this is really the last time."

	"Thanks Darien, oh before I forget, you're invited to dinner
tomorrow."

	"Andrew..."  just like the day before his voice trailed off and he
stared at the angel.  She was wearing a beautiful shimmering light blue
silk dress and she looked beautiful.  Andrew meanwhile had noticed his
reaction and smiled.  Darien was attracted to Serena and he just needed
a little push in that direction.

	Serena meanwhile was having no such reaction.  She was worried about
the evening.  She was beginning to realize that being out in the city
isn't all it's said to be.  Last night had been rather boring in fact
except for the times where she had argued with the Marquess. All the men
who she had danced with were quite boring, most of them at least, the only
one who was remotely interesting was Lord Ken and Lita had set her cap for
him so Serena was staying out.

	Sighing she picked up her skirts and descended down the steep steps,
reaching the bottom she ignored Darien and walked straight to Lady Berkily.
She didn't notice Darien's scowl when she ignored him.

	The dance was just as boring as the night before except this time she
ran into
Chad, Raye, Greg and Amy early in the evening.  Serena was admazed at how a
brother and a sister could be so different.  Amy had only turned 18, having
been married earlier this year, but she was kind and sweet, not at all
like Darien. Some else about Amy shocked Serena, Amy was brilliant, she
and Greg were scholars, they studied everything and knew so much.  Amy
had went to Oxford, she confided in Serena.  Not many people knew that
because Oxford was an all male school, she had dressed as a male for quite
a long time and that's where she had met Greg.
	When Serena heard this she asked, "Didn't Dar...I mean the Marquess
have anything to say about it?"
	Amy only laughed, "Why it was Dare's idea, he was there often to
check up on his 'cousin'."
	Raye was a lot different from Amy, she was friendly, but not quite
open.  She had travelled to distant places in the world from one continent
to another with the Earl.  She especially admired the religions that had
priests and priestess that took over temples where people came to worship
the ancient gods.  Serena noted that Raye seemed argue often with Chad and
usually she usually won which was strange because Ladies didn't argue, but
Raye seemed to enjoy it as well as Chad.

	Just then Lord Lorne came up to Serena and asked her to dance, since
Serena couldn't' think up a reason why she couldn't say no, she went with
him sighing. 'Why couldn't there be anyone interesting gentlemen here, the
only one who I feel anything for is well Dari.....the Marquess, but that's
just anger.'

	Meanwhile Darien was watching Serena and looking out for Lady Beryl,
and beginning to sink into a cold rage.  Lord Lorne was a notorious rake,
he was known to make virgins fall in love with him and then discard them.
He had no regard for the fact he broke hearts, using the emotion against
them.  Darien seethed as he glared at the two of them, making sure to watch
every move that they made so that the Lord wouldn't take Serena off to
some exclusive area.  He was so engrossed in the pair that he finally
failed to notice flame-haired Lady Beryl running after him until it was too
late to run.

	"Darien, my darling, how are you?"  Beryl purred.

	"Alright,"  Darien mumbled tersely still watching his angel and the
arrogant Lord.

	"Dariennnnnnnn, let's dance,"  Beryl said, trying to drag him onto
the dance floor.

	"No, Lady Beryl, I'm busy,"  Darien was still mumbling.

	"Doing what?"  Beryl's voice turned cold as she stared at Darien, then
following his gaze she found it resting on a young girl, who was wearing a
strange hairstyle.  Beryl was instantly jealous, she had been after Darien
for ages now, she was madly in love with him, but he just didn't see that.
She had thought that if she had gotten him to marry her than maybe someday
she could make him fall in love with her, but Darien had resisted her efforts.
Lately he had even gone to great lengths to avoid her, he tried to run away
from her whenever possible, and now Beryl thought that she had found the
reason why.  'Darien can't be falling for another girl, he loves me, I know
he does, I'll just have to work harder to get him to realize it.  I cannot
believe that he would like such a whore, she's dancing with Lord Lorne!!!!!
Maybe I can ruin her reputation, that way Darien wouldn't even consider her.
That's a good idea!'  Beryl convienently forgot that she had danced with
Lord Lorne many times before.

	"Busy,"  Darien growled glaring at her.

	The music finally stopped and Darien instantly began to walk away from
Beryl heedless of the fact that this was rude and ungentlemen like.  He came
up behind Serena and said solemly, "May I please have the next dance?"
	Serena was angry, who did this man think he was? All he had to do was
come up and she'd forgive him.  She was about to pull away, but then
Darien for the second time in two days pulled Serena into his arms and began
to dance.  And AGAIN Serena couldn't do anything about it, 'Society is so
resticting, if I made a scene than no one would even think of blaming Dar....
the Marquess, but everyone would blame me.'

	"Why are you doing this your grace?"

Darien was taken aback at the coldness in Serena's voice until he remembered
the fact that only yesterday he had accused her of trying to compromise her
so that they would have to marry.  He had enough brains to say,

	"I'm sorry, Serena,I wanted to apologize for yesterday, it's just
that….." his voice trailed off because he couldn't think of anything
relatively good enough to use as an excuse.  "Will you please forgive me?"


	Serena was shocked, Darien didn't seem like a man who apologized very
often.  She didn't know what to say except a 'alright'  Then she couldn't
say a word because Darien was smiling at her, not his normal cynical smile
but a real one, a smile that took her breath away.  She smiled back unable
to do anything else.

	Darien forgot everything else, he just danced with her in his arms,
smiling at her.  All he wanted was to be with her, well maybe he wanted
something else too, but that could wait. 'What am I thinking, I can't be
serious, can I?  I cannot be developing a tendre for Serena of all people.
Could I?'  Darien didn't even realize that the music had stopped and
started again and that lots of people had noticed the fact that the couple
had danced on oblivious to anything and everything around them.  Already
rumours were being spread around.  Beryl was seething inwardly, she was so
angry, she decided to start right away on her plan to ruin the pretty little
'girl'

	She walked around telling everyone who would hear about how just
yesterday when she was strolling down the street in the morning, she saw
Serena walking out the door with Lord Steven Lorne without an escort.
Soon it was being spread around the ton that Serena who was 'supposedly'
a debutante was having an affair with a notorious rake.  It became the
on dit of the ton in a matter of half an hour.

~End Chapter 4~
Sorry it's so short, but I needed to get the next chapter in. I'll try to
be
longer next time, REALLY I will.  Remember I love e-mail!!!!!!Keep dreamin'
~Drygonrose