Rupert made no move to touch her, but followed her into the living room, where she sank into a chair.

‘I had your message from Annette,’ he said, ‘but I couldn’t leave without seeing you just once again.’ He gave a rueful smile. ‘Now I have, would you like me to go?’

‘How did you find me?’ she asked.

‘I’m afraid I had Annette followed last night when she came home. I couldn’t bear to be in Paris and not know where you were.’

‘I didn’t want to see you.’

‘I know and I understand, but I couldn’t bear not to see you, just one last time.’

‘Are you going home again now?’ Despite her attempt to be calm and unemotional, Hélène’s question sounded wistful.

‘Unless you want me to stay,’ replied Rupert.

‘There’s no point,’ sighed Hélène. ‘I’ve just decided to go back to Belair and face them out. I won’t marry Simon, no matter what they say.’

‘Very sensible,’ he agreed. ‘But will you marry me?’

The question caught her off guard. ‘Marry you? How can I? Even if I wanted to, my reputation—’

‘I don’t care a fig about your reputation,’ he broke in. ‘But will you marry me?’

‘Oh, Rupert, how can you ask? After all that’s happened, it’s far too late.’

‘Too late for what?’ he said. He took a step towards her. ‘You’re not married, I’m not married, and I love you. Love you beyond everyone and everything there is in this world. I always have and I always will. What I need to know is if you still love me, just a little, and if you can forgive me for not coming back to find you. At least I should have come back to ask you why you’d changed your mind.’ He realised that he was standing over her and lowered himself in to the chair opposite hers.

‘I love you, Hélène, I have from the first moment I saw you, and when I left to go back to England, when Justin died, I held you in my arms and I thought you loved me in the same way.’ He looked across at her, his eyes intent upon her face. ‘Was I wrong, Hélène?’

Unable to speak for fear of weeping, Hélène simply shook her head.

‘And do you still?’

‘I don’t know.’ Her words came out on a sob.

‘Then I won’t say any more for now. If you send me away, I’ll go. If you ask me to wait, I’ll wait… for as long as it takes.’ He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, handing it to her to mop the tears.

‘I’ve still got the other ones,’ she said as she took it and dabbed her cheeks.

Rupert looked confused. ‘What other ones?’ he asked.

‘The hankies you lent me when I was telling you about poor Annette losing her baby.’

‘Have you?’ Rupert couldn’t hide his surprise.

‘They’re the only things I have of yours,’ she said.

‘Oh my darling girl,’ he said, a break in his voice. ‘Everything I have in the world is yours.’