“Then how was it?” Her voice rose in anger, and her eyes somehow darkened. “When you asked me to marry you, when you just had to kiss me—”

“That’s exactly it!” he cried. “I wasn’t even going to ask you. I never thought I might find someone I could ask in such a short time.”

“Oh, thank you,” she choked, clearly insulted by his words.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said impatiently. “I assumed I would have to find the right woman and put her in a compromising position.”

Iris looked at him with such disappointment it was almost too much to bear. But he kept talking. Because he had to keep talking. It was the only way he might get her to understand.

“I’m not proud of that,” he said, “but it was what I thought I had to do to save my sister. And before you think the worst of me, I would never have seduced you before marriage.”

“Of course not,” she said with a bitter laugh. “You couldn’t very well have your wife and sister pregnant at the same time.”

“Yes . . . No! I mean, yes, obviously, but that wasn’t what was going through my head. God!” He raked his hand through his hair. “Do you really think I would take advantage of an innocent after what had happened to my own sister?”

He saw her throat work. He saw her fighting her own words. “No,” she finally said. “No. I know you wouldn’t.”

“Thank you for that,” he said stiffly.

She turned away again, hugging her arms to her body. “I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

“I’m sure you don’t, but you will have to. If not today, then soon.”

“I already said I would agree to your ungodly plan.”

“Not in so many words.”

She whipped back around to face him. “You’re going to make me say it out loud? My little announcement at breakfast wasn’t enough?”

“I need your word, Iris.”

She stared at him, and he couldn’t quite tell whether it was with disbelief or horror.

“I need your word because I trust your word.” He paused for a moment to let her reflect upon that.

“You are my husband,” she said without emotion. “I will obey you.”

“I don’t want you to—” He cut himself off.

“Then what do you want?” she burst out. “Do you want me to like this? To tell you I think you’re doing the right thing? Because I can’t. I will lie to the entire world, apparently, but I won’t lie to you.”

“It is enough that you will accept Fleur’s baby,” he said, even though it wasn’t. He wanted more. He wanted everything, and he would never have the right to ask her for it.

“Kiss me,” he said, so impulsively, so suddenly that even he did not believe he’d done it.