Even as she thought it, the communicating door between her room and the Duke’s opened and he came in.

He was wearing a long dark robe, making him seem even more impressive than he was usually and almost instinctively Honora pressed herself back against the pillows as if she would shrink from him.

He looked down at her for a moment before he sat down on the side of the bed to say,

“I am not going to talk to you for long, Honora, because I think you must be very tired after all you have been through today.”

Because she found it difficult to concentrate on what he was saying Honora could only repeat what was in her mind.

“I-I am – sorry – very – sorry for being – such a nuisance.”

“I expect,” the Duke said quietly, “nobody has ever warned you of the dangers there can be in going out into the streets of London alone at night?”

“I-I realise now – it was very – stupid of me to – do so, but – I wanted to – think.”

“What did you want to think about?”

He saw the colour come into her face and added,

“I suppose about me.”

Honora nodded.

“Perhaps it would be wiser,” he said, “if you told me what is puzzling you instead of trying to work it out for yourself, especially in the darkness outside.”

Honora looked away from him and replied in a voice that he could hardly hear,

“I-I don’t – think I can – do that.”

“I think you should,” the Duke advised. “After all, we are married, Honora, and it would be sensible not to have secrets from each other.”

As he spoke, he thought what a hypocrite he was in that he had very many secrets that he hoped she would never know about.

Then he thrust these thoughts about himself to one side as he insisted,

“Trust me. I promise I will try to understand.”

Because his voice was kinder than she had ever known it before Honora replied,

“I-It was – something Aunt Aline said to me today and – which I did not – think would – h-happen.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Aunt Aline said – the sooner I had a – baby – the better – and you – said when I-I – left you that you would – n-not be – long.”

Although she spoke incoherently, the Duke understood.

“And that frightened you?” he asked.

“I – never thought – I never imagined because we were being – married in such a – strange way – that you would – that we would have a – baby before we had even talked to each other.”

The Duke was silent for a moment.

Then he said,

“I must apologise to you, Honora. I see I have been very remiss and I understand now exactly what you are feeling.”

He saw a light come into her eyes and she said looking at him,