Lord Marston sighed.
“I admit, much as I admire Lokita, much as I feel for her in the situation she is at the moment, I have no wish to marry any woman who is in love with somebody else.”
“Lokita loves me.”
The Prince’s voice softened as he went on,
“And you know I love her. Her happiness and her future lie in your hands.”
“It is too big a responsibility,” Lord Marston protested. “Supposing she ever learnt the truth that she was not in fact married to you? She would denounce you for deceiving her.”
“What is the alternative?” the Prince asked practically. “If Miss Anderson dies, are you suggesting that Lokita goes back on the stage without any form of protection?”
Lord Marston did not answer and he went on,
“We know that she has no money except what they obtained from the sale of th
