Niamh and Anrai were fighting again and sometimes, the shouts could be heard as they rippled out from the wooden door that visually, at least, hid their fight. "I don't understand why you want me to! You're bringing me to court to make an appearance and learn to navigate it and make something of myself! Besides, haven't you realized by now that selling me off like you want to would just decrease your profits this quarter? After all, you have to provide me with a dowry, you fool!" She reasoned, her voice rising each second.

Anrai's face just reddened with anger as she spoke back to him. "Don't be stupid," he insisted, his voice barely rising at all, "Getting rid of you from our family would be the best thing that ever happened to the McNamaras! Navigate court? Make something of yourself? Those are your goals, Niamh, hardly mine. My reason for bringing you to court was to bethroth you to some man and marry you off before he realizes that he has a snake instead of a wealthy bride in his bed. Aoife, at least, can make something of herself in court."

Niamh's eyes narrowed as her ire rose. She walked towards him slowly, mirroring, for a moment, the movements of a wolf or a lion, her black gaze not moving from him in a way that had Anrai wondering who she really took after. It couldn't be him. He had never looked at anyone that way, especially not his father. But Niamh was looking at him with disgust, as if he was the most idiotic man she'd ever met and hardly worth her time as well. Upstart! his mind screamed at her, Ungrateful wretch! I should have tossed you into a brothel and then we'll see what would have happened to you!

"Aoife," she spat out, "is someone we both know would become a courtesan in a second if she could. Ruled by her passions and hardly her wits. If you really think to hitch your wagon to Aoife's star then be prepared to be caught in so many ruts that you won't be getting anywhere fast." She was so close to him that he could see her eyes, Maeve's eyes that he had loved when they were younger and she gave him sons. Those eyes were so different from Maeve's though. At least Maeve's eyes were thoughtful and kind. They held compassion for everything. Niamh's eyes, barred to him now to show that he was no match for her, were dark, cold, and beyond cruel as she stated fact to combat his logic. "Let's face it, Father," she said, as if his title was a curse to her, "Aoife is nothing but a pretty face and a curvy body. She's an idiot, completely. Flirting and which ribbons to put in her hair...she can excel at that. But when it comes to actually getting what she wants, a smile won't always work at court and you know it. Get rid of Aoife if you want to get rid of anyone. She'd be the perfect housewife for her dashing husband. But don't you get rid of me," she hissed, her eyes flashing, "Don't you dare get rid of me."

Anrai looked at her, his blue eyes against her black ones, and fought a shudder from the cruelty in her eyes. Niamh was playing at a game that, while he fought to understand, he never would comprehend. Word had already come to him that she had been flirting (Niamh? Flirting?) with General West and was befriending Prince Fergus. Leon Heaton had gone riding with her and James Amherst, the only merchant family that truly rivaled the McNamaras, had been seen conversing with her. Niamh was making connections with people faster than her father had thought. The one person Niamh needed to make a connection with, more than anyone, she had avoided: the king.

It was the ultimate gamble as the king would either hate her or love her, one of the two, and Anrai had a feeling that the king would hate her or catch a glimpse of her true character and find himself with a snake at his throat, fangs bared, and hisses ensuing. Anrai thought himself needing to protect the king from his daughter, in case she took it into her head to see him in private to try to get him to back her and give her what she wanted. It was her father's job to minimalize the damage before it even occured and the only way he could think to do that was to get rid of her from court with a marriage. Any marriage would do but he needed to find someone and fast.

And then, once she was away...he could introduce Aoife to the king. Aoife would distract him and gain the McNamaras a true title of nobility. She was pretty enough, if not clever enough, to get the king's attentions. Aoife, after all, was the beauty of the family and would possibly even give Lady Elayne a run for her money.

If Aoife would stop playing with her dolls long enough to actually want to come to court...

All this flashed through Anrai's mind as he struggled to answer Niamh's angry reply to his prodding. "It doesn't matter how intelligent Aoife is. At least she won't turn on us all like you would, you black adder! Aoife's beautiful and the king likes beautiful women. Look at Lady Elayne! Right after the wedding and already he's bedding her instead of his wife."

Niamh just stared at him, "You want the king, do you? In one of our beds?" Now her disgust was so palpable that it was smearing any traces of prettiness she had but for those deadly eyes. "You want to whore us for your own gain. What kind of man are you? What kind of father? I'll get this family farther than Aoife would and I don't need a pretty face or to bed any man of power. I can do it without prostituting myself or without your backing. Father indeed." She sniffed and then said, in a complete turn of the subject, "I have a wedding invitation to see Lady Elena Lawley married to Lord Julian Newbury. Lady Katherine Lawley invited me and I intend to go and make a name for myself. Apparently this Katherine lady is powerful enough and..." She smiled, though it held no mirth in it, "I think she and I can learn from one another. She played at old politics and I play with the new. I think that if I get enough out of her...I might learn to blend the two and make an impression."

Anrai's mind was glittering at the possibily. Make a name for herself? It was perfect! If Katherine Lawley was inviting Niamh to the wedding, it meant that Niamh could meet Darien Lawley and, perhaps, make such a good impression that a McNamara could be bethrothed to a Lawley!

"No." Niamh's voice broke through his dreams as she stared at him, her eyes flashing once more, "I know what you're thinking and the answer is no. I will not be bethrothed while I am away. Least of all by you. The only way you're selling me to the highest bidder is if you get the king involved and we both know that he's far too busy to become involved in our family squabbles. I will handle this on my own. You can...get Aoife ready...for court in your spare time. She's only thirteen but," Niamh shrugged, "they sell them young these days."

They both thought of Hanna Blauvelt, the new queen of Thiasa, and Niamh shuddered a bit, a feeling of rare pity going out to the younger woman. It was no fun to be treated like cattle or a brood mare and Niamh suspected that the reason the king didn't bed Hanna as much as he should and kept Elayne around was because Hanna was unattractive and too young to really be considered a woman, bleeding or no. At least Elayne was nearly twenty rather than closer to ten.

Anrai frowned at her. "You will be married off, Niamh, eventually. You are getting to old and I won't have a spinster daughter when she could be making me a profit." He paused for a moment, thinking and then added, "Your brother is coming to serve at the cathedral. It would do well for you if you were to at least put up a show of liking the church rather than distrusting it. Think of the family image, Niamh."

He hesitated once more and then said, "You may go now." He waved her away and Niamh mockingly curtsied and bowed her hooded head once more before nearly prancing out the door.

In the hallway, she stood for a moment, trying to catch her thoughts and organize them even as they continued to roll through her head. Her father mentioned the king...but she didn't want to befriend the king. Not really. It was essential but when it came down to it, she wanted the king to try and befriend her.

Still, he might need a push.

With that thought in her head still, she made her way to the portrait gallery she had come across the first day she was at the Keep. The steps she took felt familiar and affable as she moved. It was like going to see an old friend, really. Except this time, she wanted to look at the portraits of the king's mother and father. The king's mother had been named Niamh (and Niamh herself had been named after the queen) and the young lady McNamara thoroughly enjoy looking upon the old queen's face. To have someone of the same name in the position of queen just reassured her.

And after the remarks her father made, she needed reassurance.

Rich people spend how much would be satisfied?

For the wealthy, 2007 was the year that bigger was better -- from yachts and incomes to personal staff and art collections.

In 2008, the rich are likely to be uttering a new mantra -- downsizing. (world of warcraft gold)

The fallout from the debt-market crisis, along with growing concerns about inequality and the environment, are likely to usher in a year of moderation for the rich. Don't worry: Conspicuous consumption won't disappear.

Yet the recent surge in the population of millionaires and billionaires is likely to slow, at least in the near term. Buzzwords like 'mass luxury' and 'exclusive' are likely to be replaced by terms like 'authenticity' and 'sustainability.' In 2008, the rich will strive to be more down to earth, even as they take off in their new G550 private jets.

'I think there is increased anxiety among the wealthy,' says Peter White, a New York-based counselor to rich families. 'But I also think there is a greater understanding of the interconnectedness of things, that what they do in their individual lives can have broader implications.' World of warcraft Power Leveling

Here are some of the most likely trends among the super-rich for 2008.

Conventional wisdom today says the wealthy are exempt from the forces of economic gravity. Luxury real-estate sales are booming, say real-estate agents, even as the rest of the housing market craters. Neiman Marcus is outshining Wal-Mart. The rich will continue to spend, we're told, because they're receiving the lion's share of the nation's wealth and income growth.

This has held true -- so far. The rich (especially the super-wealthy) will fare better than the broader consumer, since they have more of a financial cushion. Yet because so much of today's wealth is tied to financial markets, the wealthy will feel the effects of any dramatic decline in stock markets, hedge funds and private equity. One key issue: Mergers and acquisitions -- the main drivers of big wealth -- could die down with tighter credit.

The rich have also been funding their lifestyles with debt -- from art loans and jumbo mortgages to jet financing. So if credit contracts further, high-end spending also will shrink. cd keys

Gregory D. Curtis, chairman of Greycourt & Co., a Pittsburgh-based wealth-advisory firm, says he knows several wealthy families who already have been burned by investments linked to subprime lending. 'The wealthy may have a bigger cushion between themselves and the wolf at the door,' he says. 'But they're not immune.'

The runaway prices for art, wine, vintage cars and other collectibles are sure to slow next year. The bubble may not pop, per se, since there is so much demand from the newly rich in China, Russia, the Middle East and Latin America. And so far, prices of collectibles have held firm. Yet the markets have become so overrun with financial speculators -- with art becoming the new 'non-correlated asset' and wine becoming the ultimate liquidity event -- that there's bound to be a correction. Look for price drops of 10% or more for some of the secondary artists and wine makers that rely on American buyers.

Private-jet makers are all touting their new 'green' programs, helping the wealthy ease their consciences about burning 600 gallons of fuel to fly to Florida. Carbon-offset programs will grow in popularity, along with efforts to reduce the number of jets flying empty on return trips. Runes of Magic gold

Green-friendly homes, or eco-mansions, will also make headlines, oxymoron or not. Look for more solar-powered home theaters, drought-averse (yet expensive) gardens and indoor bowling alleys made from recycled wood chips.

With the presidential election casting a spotlight on inequality, the rich will feel more like targets. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama vow to raise certain taxes on the wealthy and liberal billionaires like Warren Buffett and Bill Gross have said the rich don't pay their share.

Whether it's out of enlightened self-interest or self-preservation, the rich may tilt left in 2008 in an effort to damp the growing populist streak in American politics. As Mr. Gross, who made his money in the bond market, put it in a blog post earlier this year, 'Now is the time, long overdue in fact, to admit that for the rich, for the mega-rich of this country, that enough is never enough, and it is therefore incumbent upon government to rectify today's imbalances.'

Any mere millionaire today can buy a Bentley, Hatteras yacht or Gucci bag. Yet how many people can say they've been to outer space? wow power level

Experience and access are quickly becoming new status symbols for the wealthy. The most prized experiences have an educational or altruistic bent, which help deflect populist criticism. Rather than buying another house or Swiss watch, the rich are trekking with penguins at the South Pole, having lunch with Nelson Mandela in South Africa or visiting a village in Bhutan to help build a school.

The final frontier in conspicuous consumption: space. In the end it's all about quality dinner conversation, and a rare trip aboard the space station will always outshine stories of another yachting trip to Greece.