QUOTE : At first when I meet Chin Li, I think him unkind, as you say. But it not true. He only want to guard me. So you see, he is good man.” A coy smile tipped her mouth. “Like your Marshal Caradon.” Surprised, McKenna felt heat rise to her cheeks. “He is not my Marshal Caradon.” Mei’s brows shot up. “He and I are friends. Like you and I are friends.” A knowing look filled Mei’s dark eyes. “Chin Li and I were friends when we marry. Then we grow into . . . much more.” Mei spoke something in Cantonese, offering a smile. “That is what my grandmother once say. It mean, ‘The most fertile soil for love lies in heart of friend.’” McKenna couldn’t imagine entering into marriage as Mei had. Not loving the man. Not even knowing him! But she wasn’t about to say that aloud. When she married—if she ever married—it would be for love. A love she’d not yet experienced, and wasn’t even sure existed.