She paused before she finished,
“Then we would be as we were before, watching it get worse and worse – every month and every year.”
The Earl drove on at a faster speed.
Then he said,
“There is no need for you to worry yourself over what you have just been told. It is entirely untrue.”
He paused for breath and continued,
“I have never, at any time, mentioned or suggested marriage to Lady Carisford. I am only hoping that she will leave me alone to cope with all the things I have to cope with at the moment. It is impossible for me to entertain her in the way she wants to be.”
“But she said to me that you were engaged,” Joanna murmured.
“It is a lie, a complete and utter lie,” he answered harshly. “I have never thought of asking her to marry me and, as I have just told you, I have
