“ ‘It’s not been my purpose to wound you, Tarquin,’ said Oncle Julien, his voice very soft with affection. ‘Far from it. Your youth and your sincerity appeal to me. And I see this lovely bouquet of flowers which you’ve brought to Mona, and this touches me that you want so desperately to love her.’

“ ‘I do love her,’ I said.

“ ‘But we are a dangerously inbred family, Tarquin. And you cannot be with Mona. Even if you were both of age, my blood in your veins rules it out. Over time I have come to see that my genes in my offspring tended to dominate, and this has sometimes caused grief. When I was . . . when I was thoughtless and free and rebellious, when I hated time and was desperate, I didn’t care about such things, but I care very much about them now. You could say I exist in a Purgatorial state of concern about them. That’s why I must warn you that you can’t be with Mona. You must leave Mona to her ghosts and you must go home to yours.’

“ ‘I won’t do it, Julien,’ I said. ‘I want to respect you and I do respect you, even though you deceived my ancestor, this shivering virgin whom you seduced in the very bed in which I sleep now. But I have to hear rejection from Mona’s own lips.’

“He took a deep swallow of his hot chocolate and looked away thoughtfully as though it comforted him to see the maple tree and the willow and the huge strapping magnolia that promised to dominate the little glen.

“ ‘Tell me something, young one,’ he said. ‘Do you pick up a strange fragrance in this yard?’

“ ‘Yes, it’s overpowering,’ I said. ‘I didn’t want to ask about it. But I can smell it. It’s sweet.’

“There seemed a sudden change in his demeanor. He went from charming ease to fatality.

“ ‘Once again, I must say it, mon fils, that you must absolutely never be with Mona,’ he said. ‘And you will forgive me that I brought you to this spot.’

“ ‘What do you mean? Why do you say that to me? Who’s to say that we won’t be faithful to each other until we’re grown? Three years from now, can’t she make up her mind for herself? I’ll hold her to my heart, I’ll wear her hair in my locket of her and when the time comes I’ll walk with her down the aisle.’