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‘There is no easy way to say this, Shelley—’

And then she guessed ‘You’ve met someone?’

‘Yes’

‘And you’ve fallen in love’

‘Yes, again’

‘It’s obviously serious’

‘It… Yes,’ he admitted, and for a moment his face looked almost severe ‘Yes, it’s serious Very serious’

‘Serious in that you’ve already shared breakfast in bed?’

‘Shelley!’ he protested, but he was s ‘How can you ask me such a question?’

‘Because I’ine I’d find it painful?’

‘I guess I did Well, not painful exactly Difficult’

‘Because I’ve lived with you for three years and every woman in Italy would like to scratch my eyes out because of that?’

‘Shelley!’ He hesitated ‘You know—if I could change things I would’

‘Fall out of love again, you mean?’

‘No’ He shook his head ‘Rewrite history’

‘Well, you can’t,’ she said flatly ‘No one can’

‘But I took you away,’ he said slowly, painfully ‘I took you from Drew’

Drew

His na tide

She had seen hi, when everything was still so raw, and so painful But it was a long time since either she or Marco had spoken that name aloud and, oddly, it hurt more than it should have done Even after all this time

Shelley shook her head, mainly to rid herself of the face which had swum into her memory with pin-point clarity Sapphire eyes and honey-tipped hair The body of a labourer, with the face of an angel