“No!” Charlotte’s voice was desperate. “If I interfere, Father will keep George where he is and I will never see him again. If I go along with what he wishes, he will let him live with me at Lord Brinton’s estate after the wedding.”

“I would marry you tomorrow if your father is so determined to have you gone. Why is he forcing you on Brinton?” Charlotte didn’t answer and Robert’s patience wore thin. “Answer me!” he roared.

“My father owes a fortune to countless creditors. He was on the brink of ruin when Lord Brinton offered to pay off his debts in exchange for my hand. He’s already dispensed with half. The rest will be seen to once we are married, along with a generous annual allowance.”

Robert advanced on Charlotte again, moving to stand a breath away from her. “And what about us? What of the other night? You expect me to step aside when you may already be carrying my child?”

Charlotte turned, dropping her gaze to the drawing room floor. “The odds of that occurring are very slim and I doubt it would matter much to Lord Brinton. Such things have happened before.”

“They do not happen to me!”

“Robert, please! This is my fault! I let my guard down. I was with you when I should have been looking after George and now he’s gone.” Charlotte nearly fell apart then. She wanted to go to Robert so badly. She almost did, but George’s face flashed through her mind and stopped her dead in her tracks.

“I must insist that you leave,” she instead said, her voice firm despite her anguish. “I will not risk my brother’s safety. Not for myself and certainly not for you...”

What I love the most about living in a foreign country is the total anonymity of it all. I don’t know anyone. I can walk down the street dressed like a total slob and I won’t bump into a single person I know. Not that I’m walking around Rome looking a mess, but still, knowing that I can is extremely liberating.

I’ve been here a week, staying in my rented apartment in the Della Vittoria District of Rome, and at this point, I’m leaning towards staying indefinitely. It’s been done before. People have picked up and disappeared to live a fabulous life abroad. Leaving New York behind for a villa in Italy sounds more than mysterious and sexy to me.

Because mysterious and sexy is absolutely how I’m feeling these days. I wake up, eat, write, eat, sightsee, shop for food or other things (but pretty much just food), eat, send out emails, watch a movie, write, then sleep. Yeah, it’s downright indecent over here.