“You – love me? You really – love me?”
“How can I do anything else?” Drogo asked. “But, my darling, be sensible! Even if I tried to forget that you are a Royal Princess, it is quite impossible for me to have a wife at all. ”
“Why?”
“Because owing to my mother’s illness, I am deeply in debt. I am only an ordinary soldier and for the next ten years at least every penny I earn will have to go to paying off my debts.”
“I have – Mama’s jewellery,” Thekla said in a small voice.
Drogo smiled.
“That is all you have, and it will have to last you for a very long time. You would not wish to arrive penniless and have to be grateful to others for everything you require.”
He stopped speaking to smile at her before he went on,
“At least you will start on the right foot and then your marriage will
