"I don't know what other proof he might have had, but it was enough for him to suspect," Anne replied, and then swallowed roughly, her throat dry. "Enough for him to be poisoned by jealousy. He told me that he would forgive my transgressions if I told him that I loved him, if I would take him as my lover instead."

It had only just happened, and yet what she was saying still seemed impossible.

"I told him to leave, slapped him, but that was when…" She drew an unsteady breath, pressing her fingers to her mouth again.