He thought now there was a wild look in her eyes that made him afraid.
He moved until he was near enough to hold onto her if necessary and, forcing a smile to his lips, he continued,
“I am quite sure that you came here because you could not sleep, as I have done since I was a boy.”
She did not reply, instead she turned her head away and once again looked down at the water.
There was silence until the Duke said quietly,
“It would be wrong, wicked and a crime against life itself to do such a thing!”
He saw her stiffen and then in a voice that he could hardly hear she replied,
“P-perhaps – like the prisoners – who you told me about – there is no alternative. At any rate – I cannot think of – one.”
“Maybe it would be easier if we talked about it together.”
She did not turn her head an
