“So the Comte’s wife is dead!” Atayla exclaimed in surprise. “Father Ignatius was not aware of that.”
“Yes, he was free to marry, but Nadine was still tied to me.”
“And you would not divorce her?”
“Why should I?” the Earl asked. “A divorce, whoever is at fault, causes a scandal and what is a private affair between two people then becomes public and is reported in the newspapers for every Tom, d**k, and Harry to read.”
“So you refused.”
“I refused categorically and had no wish whatever to remarry, until, my darling, I saw you.”
“How could I have guessed – how could I have thought for one moment – that you could ever love me,” Atayla asked, “when all I could see was – hate in your eyes?”
“I was hating you because you disturbed and upset me. Because every time I looked at you, my heart
