He held her a little closer.
“Now I can understand what you were feeling yesterday in the Priory.”
Lolita put back her head and looked up at him.
“When I prayed in the Chapel, I felt that both Mama and Papa were telling me that everything would be all right – and that I need no longer be frightened. And now it has all come true.”
“Do you love me?” he asked her tenderly.
“I love you with all my heart and soul,” Lolita whispered. “But I was so afraid that you would find out and send me away in disgust.”
He gave a little laugh.
“I have loved you from the first moment I saw you. I tried to fight against it, but our love, my precious, was too strong for both of us. That is why I am not going to wait a moment longer than I need. I actually wrote to the Bishop and sent the letter early thi
