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She thought she would faint She could hear the blood dru, Benji buried his face in the worn material of her cotton trousers and whimpered He could not understand the words—but he could understand the anger, the raw hatred that cah The contempt

Her vision blurred Rafaello’s father strode past her, and she heard him descend the marble stairs to the hall below

She felt the tray shaking in her hands and knew that if she did not put it down it would fall froround But she couldn’t stop her hands shaking

Then, suddenly, the tray was taken from her

‘In here—’

She felt herself propelled back through the bedrooain somehow—felt Benji lifted away, heard his protest, and then she was sitting on the bed, Benji in her ar hi, just hunched there, holding Benji, hi in her arms

So out the light She kneho it was Rafaello di Viscenti Who had chosen her for his bride not because she was convenient and ust his father She was the ‘lowest of the low’—his father’s hideous words rang like blows in her head—the perfect insult to throw in his father’s face

‘Magda…’

His voice came low

She went on clutching Benji to her and staring blindly down at the carpet, trying not to think, not to feel…

‘You must not—ry with’ The words grated from him

Her hand curved round Benji’s head, his hair satin-s at all

Rafaello watched the gesture He wanted to find the words but he couldn’t There were none to find His father had said them all But he had to try, all the same

‘Magda, I—’

Her head lifted and her eyes met his Hers were quite, quite blank