and the next time he had seen her Caterina had been

wearing Gino’s engagement ring whilst his cousin

wore a besotted expression of adoration. He had tried

to warn his cousin then, of just what she was, but

Gino had been in too deeply ever to listen, and had

even accused him of jealousy. For the first time that

Lorenzo could remember they had quarrelled, with

Gino accusing Lorenzo of wanting Caterina for himself,

and she had cleverly played on that to keep them

apart until after her and Gino’s marriage.

Later, Lorenzo and his cousin had been reconciled,

but Gino had never stopped worshipping his wife,

even though she had been blatantly unfaithful to him

with a string of lovers.

"Where are you going?" Caterina demanded shrilly

as Lorenzo turned on his heel and walked away

from her.

From the other side of the hall Lorenzo looked

back at her.

"I am going," he told her evenly, "to find myself a

wife — any wife. Just so long as she is not you. You

could have seen to it that I was warned that my grandmother

was near to death, so that I could have been

here with her, but you chose not to. And we both

know why."

"You cannot marry someone else. I will not let

you."

"You cannot stop me."

She shook her head. "You will not find another

wife, Lorenzo. Or at least not the kind of wife you

would be willing to accept — not in such a sort space

of time. You are far too proud to marry some little

village girl of no social standing, and besides…" She

paused, then gave him a taunting look and said softly,

"If necessary I shall tell everyone about the child I

was to have had, whom you made me destroy."