“Not in England, at any rate,” the Priest said, “but I would rather you did not speak of it in Odessa.”
“I will not do so,” the Duke promised, “and now that we have come here and you have told me what I wished to know, I shall take Anoushka away.”
He paused before he added quietly,
“Before we leave I would like to ask you, Father, if you will bless us, because, although we were married in a Catholic Church, I think it would make my wife happy to have a special blessing from you in the Church where she really belongs.”
“There is nothing which could make me happier, Your Grace,” the Priest replied simply. As the Duke rose to his feet, Anoushka laid her cheek for a moment against his shoulder and he heard her whisper so that only he could hear,
“You understand! Oh, my darling, wonderful,
