The train was a fast one stopping at only two stations, and yet when they reached St. Pancras Larentia felt exhausted, not by the journey, but by the knowledge that after today she would never see the Duke again.
She had made up her mind what she must do and planned it very carefully, not only during the night but while he was sitting opposite her, and now she wanted to throw herself into his arms and ask him to kiss her just once more.
“How can I go through life without him?” she asked herself. “How can I leave him knowing that he is somewhere in the world and I may not see him?”
And yet she knew what she was doing was right. Firstly because what he wanted her to do was wicked, and secondly because to confess to him that she had lied and made his acquaintance under false pretences woul
