Chapter 20

After a few hours of consideration, Ashton decided to clarify the misunderstanding between him and Selene as soon as possible. He knew he had to settle this now if he didn't want it to be a thorn in his side, something that continually causes problems in his future marriage. He stepped into the ballroom, where an evening soirée was held. Exchanging greetings and pleasantries along the way, some peers approached him for a further conversation. He disengaged skillfully from two or three men who was putting in a casual talk. He didn't want to be distracted from his significant purpose. His gaze searched out his fiancée and instantly found her on the dancefloor, swinging gracefully in one of his fellow's arms. He waited until the dance came to an end, and Selene curtsied elegantly to her partner before stepping out of the dancefloor.

"Selene,"

Approaching her in quick, long strides, he stopped a feet away from her.

"Could I have a word with you?"

She threw a glance at him.

"Of course."

He led the way to the terrace, which was properly visible from the ballroom yet safely distant. A breeze wafted the smell of night-blooming jasmine from the garden below, moonbeams washed the terrace with its pale, ivory glow.

"I know there's a misunderstanding going on between us, and I want to make everything clear before our wedding day."

He brought up the matter carefully once they settled by the railing. She regarded him watchfully but stayed silent, waiting for him to proceed with the talk.

"There's nothing between me and her. Nothing at all."

"Who are you talking about, darling?"

She asked in a composed tone that almost sounded mocking.

"You know who I'm talking about."

He ignored her pretense.

"She is one of my folks. I encountered her on my walk a couple of months ago and I found her..."

He made a brief pause, choosing his words with great care not to cause his fiancée more irritation.

"...suitable for my art project. I asked her to be a muse and I made some sketches of her, as you already know, and that was all. There was never a romantic entanglement between me and her, or anything of that kind."

Selene threw her gaze to the garden below with concealed derision. She was not that naive to believe that innocent explanation. The gesture must tell him what was on her mind because it took no time for him to perceive her incredulity.

"I know you're thinking the opposite, but I swear to God I've never touched her."

"Never?"

She turned toward him and raised a brow, finally showing some reaction after being cool and aloof so far. She looked him in the eyes as though she wanted to see deep into his soul.

"Never."

She gave him an unexpected reply.

"But it doesn't mean you don't want to."

Astounded to get the blunt response, he briefly appeared at a loss for words.

"Tell me the truth, darling,"

She regarded him with an unnerving gaze.

"Can you swear to God that you haven't the slightest desire to touch her?"

She challenged him fearlessly. She wanted to hear what lies he was going to bring up after this.

He didn't anticipate to hear such a bold question. An irritated crease appeared between his brows and he regarded her back with a flicker of annoyance.

"I'm a man, Selene. And I'm not blind. True, I find some women attractive, but it doesn't mean I intend to have any of those women in my bed. Beyond anything else, I have moral codes. I swear on my mother's grave I'll never insult you by keeping a mistress or pursuing any kind of amorous interest. There will never be another woman in our marriage."

A long silence dragged on several moments until Selene eventually spoke.

"Do you really want things to work between us?"

"Yes."

"Honest to God, does she mean something to you?"

He hadn't a penchant for lying, but he had never found difficulty to perform it whenever necessary. However, at the moment he had to force the words from his suddenly constricted throat.

"No."

"Not even a bit?"

"Not at all."

"Then give me your sketchbook."

"What for?"

Quite taken aback by her demand, a defensive note escaping his voice.

"I'm a woman, dear."

The soft, silky voice somehow contained a dangerous note.

"I can tolerate your natural appreciation to other women that you consider attractive, but it would be disturbing, to say the least, to know that my man is keeping a series of intimate pictures of another woman."

"I will not touch the other sketches in the book."

She continued calmly.

"I will be your wife in a matter of days. Is it too much to ask you to rid yourself from the images of another woman?"

At the moment, he knew his first impression of her was right. He could never get the better of her. As for now, he knew for sure, he'd better let her demand went unchallenged.

"Fine," He finally replied, and for the first time in his life, he had to acknowledge his unforeseen defeat.

******

Snuggling down in her warm blanket, Ava nuzzled her cool, plump pillow. She breathed deeply in the fresh, clean smell of the pillowsheet, trying to get her mind and body to relax. She intended to sleep early tonight, since she hadn't enough sleep in the last few days. The uncomfortable situation with the earl and the duke had perplexed her. To make it worse, after her unconsidered remarks to the duke the night before, guilt and uneasiness had been preying on her mind every minute of the day. Now that she already said to him she didn't mean the harsh words, for the first time after the other night's encounter, she could draw in a full breath.

A loud pounding noise slipped through her haze of half slumber, pulling her back to wakefulness. She rolled onto her back, blinking in the dark. Moments later she perceived that someone was knocking at her door.

"Who is it?"

Ava sat down on her bed immediately, exclaiming in alert. She heard a muffled female voice from beyond the door, and she frowned in confusion when the uninvited guest claimed herself as Lady Selene Wyndham's companion. Why on earth did she come at this ungodly hour? She rolled out of bed, putting on her nightrobe before turning the door knob.

A gaunt, sour-faced woman was standing at her doorstep. With a quick, prompt words, she delivered a message from Lady Selene Wyndham. Apparently the lady summoned her to her bedchamber for a private talk.

"Her Ladyship requires your presence immediately."

The maid informed her. She could still hardly believe it, she asked in confusion.

"At this hour?"

Instead of answering her question, the woman gave her a cold stare.

"Get dressed quickly. You shouldn't keep the lady waiting."

Then the maid turned around and crossed her arms, presenting her scrawny back to her. Ava closed the door and changed her clothes. She had no choice but to obey. The haughty maid led her along the way to the lady's bedchamber. Before long, she already arrived at the doorstep. The maid knocked the door softly.

"Do come in."

An authoritative voice answered from beyond the door. The maid opened the door and gestured her to enter. In the middle of the large bedchamber, Lady Selene Wyndham was sitting on an upholstered sofa, wearing a silk night robe in champagne color. With a glass of red wine in her right hand, crossing her legs at the knees beneath the shimmering silk, she looked pleasingly graceful and stylish even in her relaxing posture.

"Hello, Miss Banks,"

Lady Selene greeted her with an inviting smile.

"I have to apologize to cause you another inconvenience."

"Not at all, My Lady."

She performed a polite curtsy.

"Please have a seat."

She gestured toward a couch across her with a slight nod. Ava moved toward the couch and sat, placing her hands together on her lap. She couldn't foresee the reason or the purpose of this unusual meeting.

"I have an important matters to discuss with you, Miss Banks. I believe the two of us can find a way to come to a mutual agreement."

Ava flicked a glance at her in sudden curiosity. What kind of agreement could the lady ever need from a woman like her?

"Since it's getting late, I don't want to waste your precious time. So let me get to the point."

The lady's voice was thin and smooth and silky, flowing through the air like a quiet river stream.

"I have to say that I'm not feeling very pleased with the fact that you and my fiancé are having a relationship."

The words knocked the breath out of her. Eyes widened and jaw dropped in horror, she stared at the lady like a statue. Next seconds she was on her feet, hearing her own voice filled the room.

"I don't know where you got the idea, My Lady, but you are terribly wrong. I don't have any relationship with your fiancé."

The lady didn't flinch a bit at her sudden blow.

"Am I? Because I have every suggestion that implies the opposite."

"It's an absolute nonsense. Why ever would a peer have some kind of relationship with a commoner like me?"

"It doesn't take a genious to understand what's going on between you and him, Miss Banks. His interest in you is plain to see."

"Pardon me, My Lady. I'm certain you knew that he never even glanced at me. He could never have any kind of interest in me."

"Really? Then what's all this?"

The lady took a leather-covered book from the commode nearby, tossing the book on the table before her. Her heart made a violent pound as she recognized the book.

"I guess you already know what's inside."

"I don't."

She had to keep her voice from a slight shaking.

"Then have a look."

Under the authoritative command, she took the sketchbook reluctantly. He knew there was a sketch of her in there, somewhere in the middle of the book. Her brain struggled for a strategy. She could say the woman in the sketch was not her. She could say it was just a coincidence that the woman in the sketches resembled her in some way. It was just one sketch after all.

The book opened in some random page, and she gasped in surprise to find another sketch of her, not the one she expected to see. Instinctively she flipped the page, and found another one. And another one, again and again in every page she turned until her fingers trembled in the startling discovery. There were more than a dozen sketches of her, in every angle possible. Seemingly each one was made shortly after the previous one. The perfect accuracy of the details made it difficult to deny. Only a blind man who would not be able to recognize the truth that she was the woman in the picture.

A dozen sketches after, she finally came to the last one, an unfinished sketch that captured her in a very immodest nightgown, that had significant resemblance to her real nightgown. She couldn't believe it. She would have never believed it if she didn't see it with her own eyes.

Dear God. He is obsessed with her. These, these intricately detailed sketches proves that he is more than just 'very interested' in her. He is truly obsessed with her. He is outrageously enraptured with her. Good Lord, she had suspected his attraction to her long time ago, but she didn't expect it to be this ...serious. And how did Lady Selene get to know about it? Did he tell him about her? Impossible. She knows by instinct that he isn't that naive or honest to do that. He couldn't have shown her these sketches. She must have accidentally found it. And unfortunately, his drawing is too unmistakably accurate in detail that the lady recognized the subject at once.

"It explains everything."

The soft voice brought her back to reality. She lifted her gaze to the lady. She couldn't take the blame for this. She had never expected something like this even in her wildest dreams. She had to explain that she had nothing to do with it. The sketches were made in her absence and without her knowledge. Until a few moments ago, she didn't even know that the sketches did exist.

"Forgive me, My Lady~"

"I can never forgive you."

The lady cut her off instantly. For a brief moment, Ava stopped dead in her tracks. Unexpectedly, the lady continued in a soft voice.

"Because I do not blame you, Miss Banks. I suppose he was the one who pursued you, most definitely, and who were you to resist such a man?"

Ava cringed at the insult. The lady definitely knew how to deliver it without being forthright.

"And really, I can't blame you for that, for most women in your position would do exactly the same. It's not something new. It happens anywhere, all the time."

"Pardon me,"

She ignored the lady's insinuation.

"I'm not apologizing for any of that, My Lady. Because I never did all the things you said I did."

She put the sketchbook on the table.

"Whatever you think about me and your fiancé, you've got the wrong idea."

She had to make a good explanation, though.

"I met him several times to help him with an art project, but there was nothing, absolutely nothing ever happened between us throughout the project. I believe his interest to me was purely artistical."

She knew she couldn't expect the lady to believe that, but what else could she say? She couldn't confirm the lady's belief that his fiancé was infatuated with her.

"You want me to believe that your relationship with my fiancé is purely platonic?"

"I don't have any kind of relationship with your fiancé, My Lady. As I said before, I know perfectly my place in this world. It's simply a professional arrangement. He is the artist and I'm merely a paid muse."

Putting in a little lie, she intended to make the professional term more convincing, but Lady Selene's reply got her staggered.

"A highly paid one, I suppose."

Disregarding Ava's offended shock, Selene continued to speak.

"I'm afraid we've been straying far from the point. Let's get back to where we left off. I'm going to give you a very good proposition, Miss Banks."

She put her crystal goblet on the commode.

"Ten thousand pounds to leave my fiancé and get lost forever from Evergreen Valley. I believe it's more than enough to compensate all your inconvenience."

Selene took a bell from the commode and ring it. The door opened, and the sullen maid entered with a huge trunk. The maid set the trunk on the carpeted floor before her and opened it. A big heap of gold sovereigns brimming the inside of the trunk, some spilling on the carpet beneath it, a single coin rolled in the direction of her feet.

"All this money is yours if you choose to accept my term. And one more thing,"

Ava watched in consternation as the lady spoke as though she would positively take the offer without a second thought.

"Once we're back in Vermont, I have no wish to set eyes on you ever again. I'll expect you to disappear immediately."

Out of the corner of her eye, Ava saw the maid was staring at her with plain disgust. She felt heat creep over her face. Ignoring her severe embarrassment, she made a brief answer.

"I'm not going anywhere, My Lady, because I'm not taking your offer. As I said before, I did nothing wrong. I refuse to accept this false accusations."

A flicker flashed through the lady's eyes, a mild surprise at the fact that she dared to deny her.

"You will not be given that choice. One way or another, you will disappear, Miss Banks. The only choices I'll allow is whether you'll do it by yourself, or you'll do it with some help."

Stunned, Ava lost her voice at once. Had she misheard it? Or was the lady threatening her indeed?

"I'm being kind to let you choose, your way or my way. But I don't think you will like the last option."

Selene gestured over the trunk and the maid moved to close it, dragging the heavy chest to the other side of the room.

"I'm giving you a very good proposition, Miss Banks. The sum is more than the average dowry of most decent women. If you're not a spendthrift, it would be enough to live well for the rest of your life. It can buy you an adequate house and a little farm or a pretty shop. It can even buy you a quite decent husband, or if you prefer otherwise, it can buy you an independent life."

Ava froze to her feet, too shocked and confused to think of an answer. The sullen maid had returned and approached her in forbidding gesture, stopping a feet away from her and standing there in waiting.

"I gather you'll need some time to think about it. You still have time to consider it until the last day of our stay."

She ended their conversation with a dismissal line that a master usually used to order or allow the servant to leave.

"I think that's all for now. Good evening, Miss Banks."

******

The night was so deep, but his mind and body refused to sleep. Gazing out the window to the dark, distant balcony across the lawn, he was thinking about the woman who was tucking safely inside. The colors in his world had all become dull, everything in his life had gone bleak and dismal. Like a raincloud that stole the sunshine from the sky, the hands of fate had taken the little light in his life.

The moment he decided to keep her around a little longer, he had made a mistake. He should have let her go from the first time, but she must have some kind of pervasive charm, he had forgotten who he was and what his life was all about. The day he caught on a whim to hold her back from leaving, he had made a mistake.

He wished he knew that as much as it could give him a momentary bliss, later it would turn to become a torture. Intoxicated, how could he be drunk? It was that insane, stupid, irresistible joy that made the sweet pain ahead seemed worth to bear. But he had known from the very start that this entanglement didn't mean to last forever. At some point or another, it must come to an end. And it seemed like the time had come. Just like he had given away the sketches of her to Selene tonight, he must give up his meaningless infatuation for her.

Taking a long sip of the strong liquor, he told himself it was over. Everything about her would be forgotten before the dawn break. Tomorrow was a new day, and he would put everything behind him and start anew. His life must go on in the right direction, and there was no place for her in his life unless under the shadow. And he didn't plan to follow his father's path. When the sun rose, he would put her right where she belonged, in the hidden corner of his blasted memory, but tonight he would drink himself into oblivion.

******

Besieged by fear the entire night, Ava came to the conclusion that she had to seek refuge in the person most responsible for her unfortunate situation. She was under the threat of potential danger. Something bad could happen to her, she couldn't tell how bad. The word 'disappear' held many possibilities. In a worst case scenario, she might cease to exist. She shivered at the very thought.

He should know about this. He has everything to do with this. She can't bear it alone. She doesn't know what to do. After all, this is entirely not her fault. How could she be the one to blame when a man made so many sketches of her without her knowledge?

She made a lie to Lady Byrne, telling the lady that she was unwell, and managed to get a half-day off. Sneaking through the servants' staircase to a hidden corner, she surveyed the path that the guests used to pass, waiting for him to appear. People came and went, and she was getting restless with the prospect of not getting a chance to meet him. Fortunately after an hour or so, she spotted him walking alone down the empty lawn. Scanning the whole area in a quick glance, she was relieved to find nothing of Lady Selene Wyndham.

He looked different today. He looked a bit disheveled, like he was exhausted from lack of sleep. There were creases and dark rings around his eyes, and his hair tousled. He looked particularly preoccupied, but not that absorbed that he lost his customary alertness. He must have sensed her presence because he glanced in her direction immediately. Her heart plummeted to her feet when his eyes met hers. She would never see him the same way again, not after what she had discovered last night.

He seemed startled. But he recovered in no time and averted his gaze. He continued to walk as though she wasn't there. Her morale dropped instantly. He had a way of making her shrink with an offhand gesture, like she was nothing to him, less than nothing. But it couldn't deceive her no more. She already knew that to a considerable extent, she had power over him. Strangely she felt a gleam of wicked satisfaction at the thought. She gave herself an irritated mental shake. She had to focus on what was important now.

She walked toward him, approaching him in quick, determined pace. His expression turned alerted when she got near. When she was just one step away, she stopped right in front of him, standing in his way. Staggered, he took a halting step and blurted in surprise.

"For Christsakes, what are you doing?"

"I need to talk to you."

He looked around quickly at a glance. The lawn was empty at the moment, and she thought he was going to turn to her. To her shocked dismay, he passed her by in his long swinging strides. She followed him, trying to catch up with his pace.

"Wait, please. I won't dare to come to you if it's not that urgent."

He continued walking without breaking pace. He didn't even glance at her. Desperate to get immediate attention, Ava caught at his sleeve, her fingers digging into his hard, powerful arm beneath the fabric of his coat. Astonished by her unusual daring behavior, he stopped abruptly and stared down at her. She startled at his sudden halt, flinching back a step. Half surprised, half frightened, she was suddenly at a loss of words at the moment.

A tread of footsteps and light chatters behind reached them, and she expelled a startled gasp when he suddenly dragged her into a small, darkened grotto nearby. Her back hit a cold, hard surface and his body came crashing hers, pressing her tight to the wall, his fingers closed around her arms, the heat of his palms filtered through the frail fabric. Catching her breath, she heard indistinct noises of people talking outside.

"Quiet,"

He whispered with a warning note.

"They can hear us."

Holding still, she looked up a long way to see his face. He was so tall, his broad shoulders loomed over her and her eyes were leveled with his chest. She shook off an insanely tempting idea of resting her head in the wide chest and burying her face into the deep muscles.

She observed him surreptitiously, her eyes were quick to adapt with the darkness. He turned his head aside as to strain for any sound from outside, or to avoid looking at her. He looked completely aloof, as though he didn't care a bit about her, and she couldn't help but wondering. Could it be the same man who made a dozen sketches of her very intricately, who captured her in the paper so exquisitely, as though she was the only thing in the world that worth preserving, as though she was the only thing he could ever see? If she was on his mind every second of the hour while he was sketching her, he must have spent many hours thinking of her. Several seconds passed in silence and he turned toward her at last. She searched for a trace of feelings in his eyes, but she couldn't find the littlest hint. Could it be real that he was truly obsessed with her?

Her eyes pierced through his, and he felt like he was stripped off all his shields and defenses by those fascinating pair. She must have witchcraft in her eyes, because from the very first time those eyes locked with his, he was enraptured. She seemed to be staring through his eyes into his soul. No one could ever make him feel weak and vulnerable with a single look.

Gradually, the noise became distant and disappeared. Seemed like the people had already gone far. Realizing his hands was still on her, he released his grip instantly. He braced his hands on either side of her shoulders, palms pressing against the rocky surface. He fought to keep his hands on the wall, concentrating on the cold, hard and rough texture beneath his palms, rather than thinking about skimming them over the warm, soft, and smooth body clinging tight to his. He reminded himself that he had given his word to Selene.

"Tell me what this is all about."

He broke the silence.

She blinked.

"Here?"

"You said it cannot wait."

"Yes... I mean, can we get out of here?"

She resisted an urge to writhe against the irritatingly warm, delicious pressure that mashed her body to the wall.

"We must not be seen."

The cold note in his voice pricked her. And the fact that he was ashamed to be with her. It should have put her in her place, as well as humbled her. No matter how enchanted he was by her, it would never make him lose his marbles.

"I don't have much time, now tell me what in the hell is so important that it's worth to risk our reputation?"

Hurt by his scornful indifference, she replied sourly.

"You mean your reputation. Because I have none since you shot it to pieces for an unconsidered reason. But I suppose you don't give a damn about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't pretend you didn't know about it!"

Her voice rose a pitch, and she lowered it at his warning glare.

"You have no business revealing my identity to Lord Blackthorne. Now that lecherous cad is chasing me all the time and that causes me a lot of inconvenience. I'm lucky he doesn't use it to blackmail me, but what if he passes the information to somebody else? You have put my life at risk for an unconsidered trifle."

Lecherous cad? The way she mentioned that rogue filled him with a sense of triumph and satisfaction, but really, it shouldn't have mattered now.

"What are you talking about? I never told him anything."

"Then how did he know?"

"What did he know?"

"My true identity."

"Impossible. Did he mention your real name or your parents or your fiancé?"

"Well, not actually... but..."

Thinking about it, the earl never mentioned anything of that kind, though.

"He said you told him who I truly am."

"God above! I'll never do something like that."

He exclaimed in offended shock, and he did sound genuine.

"He deceived you all along, I've warned you that man is a blackhearted scoundrel."

"Is it true that you never told him about who I really am?"

She asked doubtfully.

He sighed in irritation.

"What benefit do I get by revealing your identity to that rake?"

Lord Blackthorne's wicked smile flashed through her mind, and she cringed at the thought that the earl had tricked her with his lie.

"I'm sorry for blaming you, then."

She murmured quietly, but there was still an unsolved puzzle.

"But it was strange, though. How could he know that I have a secret? He said he knew something about me..."

"Was that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

He cut her off with irritated voice.

"No, there's much more important matters,"

She said quickly in response, then turning silent. It took several moments to choose her words carefully.

"Your fiancée is accusing me of having an affair with you."

"What?!!"

Meeting his stupefied gaze, she continued to speak.

"She summoned me to her bedchamber last night, and confronted me about it. I told her everything was not true, but she didn't believe me a bit. She was convinced that I am your mistress."

For a moment, she considered to mention about the sketches, but she decided it would be awkward for them both. Given the way he pretended to disregard her just now, he would very likely feel embarrassed.

"I believe she has her own reasons. She said she didn't want me to come between you and her, so she wanted me to leave for good. She offered me ten thousand pounds to move to another town."

She glanced up at him and found him staring down at her in pure bewilderment.

"I refused to comply, and she said, one way or another, she would make me disappear."

"Dammit!! She dared to threaten you?!!"

She answered with a startled gasp.

"Entirely likely. She seemed like she would go to any means to get rid of me."

She felt herself recoil at the very thought.

"It scared me out of my wits. I considered to accept her offer and leave for good, but if I do, it means that I plead myself guilty. I don't want to admit responsibility for a misdeed I've never done. On the other hand, to stay means I put my life in danger."

"No! I won't let anything happen to you."

She nearly flinched back when a sudden grip closed around her arms, she glanced down where he held her, but he didn't seem to care.

"Listen, I promise I'll settle this matter with her once and for all. You don't need to be afraid. Do you understand?"

She winced when his fingers clenched hurtfully around her flesh, he must have seen her reaction, because his grip loosened at once, and his hands fell away.

"And... what am I supposed to do?"

"Nothing. Just trust me. I'll take care of everything."

However, his fervent reaction made her suddenly feel nervous, again she was at a loss of words.

"All right. Thank you."

She said awkwardly. Suddenly feeling the urge to escape, she moved beneath his body.

"I'd better leave now before anyone come around."

Slipping past him, she was forced to a halt when he suddenly grabbed her wrist. Startled, she stood still, not daring to turn toward him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that he didn't turn around either. Seconds later, his quiet voice streamed over her shoulder.

"Don't ever go."

Something in his voice made her heart skip a beat. She could hardly force a word from her numb lips, so she just nodded even though she doubted that he could see her. He must sense it though, because he eased her free. With a mixture of so many feelings, she stepped out into the light.

******

Striding decisively toward his fiancée who was walking with her maid down the hallway, Ashton made the prompt request the second Selene was within arm's reach.

"We need to talk."

"Hello, darling."

She glanced up at him in measured composure. She didn't seem a bit surprised, clearly she had been anticipating this.

"I'm up to something now, I'll see you soon after."

"I'm afraid it cannot wait."

He grabbed her arm and led the way purposefully to the nearest vacant sitting room. The maid withdrew obligingly, creeping near the paneled wall. Once they were beyond the threshold, he turned her toward him and released her. His eyes bored into hers, flickering with rage.

"You should never have trifled with her."

"I see you have just returned from some clandestine meeting."

She replied calmly.

"There's nothing of that kind. I've told you before and this is the last time I say it. I don't have an affair with her."

His face turned dark, his voice had a sharp, rough edge to it.

"What you did to her is beyond the pale. How come did you make threats to her?"

Selene tilted her head at him, as if speculating about his reaction.

"If she's not that important to you, then why bother? She's just a lowly peasant, after all. I'm not very pleased to know that you think she's worth an argument with your rightful bride. I wonder what does that mean, my dear?

"That means you don't trust me an inch and you undervalue my pledge to you."

He delivered an icy reply. That seemed to effectively silence her, because she made no answer. He looked away for an instant, traveling his gaze across the room, only to regard her again.

"Listen Selene, leave her be, that woman is entirely innocent. She doesn't deserve all the false accusation and disturbance you threw at her."

He made a slight pause, feeling extremely bad for the whole situation. His damned recklessness had dragged the three of them into such plight. He had made too many sketches of another woman that it was impossible for his fiancée not to feel suspicious. He couldn't really put the blame on her for feeling insecure. He decided to give her another reassurance she needed. He didn't want to make her feel humiliated, after all.

"I give you my word that I shall be faithful to you, and I shall do nothing to disrespect you. I do respect you and honor you. That's the reason I accepted your term and obligingly complied with your demand. If you value our relationship, you'll respect my demand as I respect yours."

She stood still, regarding him with an indecipherable expression. He waited for her answer, but she remained silent. After the unpleasant confrontation, he thought that she might possibly need some time alone. He spun on his heels and moved toward the door. When his hand rested on the knob, he stopped still for a while.

"One other thing, Selene,"

He turned his head slightly aside, although he didn't really glance at her. His voice was low, but vehement.

"Just keep in mind that I won't tolerate another scheme."