But at last she had to accept that the Earl had gone and for the last month she had not seen him until they had met today with all the other guests at Alchester Castle.
It had given her a terrible shock when he had come into the salon before dinner and to the Marchioness’s considerable annoyance her heart had turned a somersault and she had found it hard to breathe.
She had been very severe with herself during the last few weeks. .
Her pride had told her not to whine as so many other women had done when they lost the Earl and she had determined to pretend, even if nobody believed her, that she had been the first to bring their affair to an end because he no longer amused her.
The Marchioness might have had many faults, but she was not the type of woman to be crushed by adversity or to
