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‘Not wilfully, but because I ilful I never, ever should have married him, but I was so lonely’ The words shook out of her ‘It’s no excuse, but it is the truth That year I have never felt so alone’
He put his aring into his hand Her body shook against the length of his ar out of her like bubbles in water
‘I ood actress and when it beca it and he would becory and I didn’t knohat to do’
‘He hurt you’ His ar She shook her head She wanted cocooning back, she needed it
‘No, not like that In every other way, though He was jealous of the other h I told him he had no reason to be When he askedever I told him the truth’
‘What was the truth?’
She closed her eyes, blocking out even the sight of his chest She’d accused Edge of lying by omission about the books and she was about to do the same, but it could not be helped
‘That I did not love him, that I married him because I wanted a family, a home’
Edge flinched as if she’d jabbed him with a pin Ricki had done the same
‘Did you tell himabout the other man?’
‘I told hi, it spilled out of e, but he paid ht courtesans to the palazzo, tellingbut a stupid child, which I was When that didn’t work he brought Maria’
‘The little girl you told hter?’
Sam nodded ‘She was barely three She wasn’t pretty—she looked like a little oith enormous dark eyes and cheeks that were always a patchy red, but she had a smile that couldmelt you He moved her into the palazzo and said that I would never have a child of my own until I told him I loved him and meant it’
‘That is ludicrous Cruel’
‘It was sad and pointless He was often out with his friends and I spent all my time with Maria which only ht I woke and she was gone and I heard Ricki shouting beneathher in the air and telling et her if I wanted her By the ti and I realised so He tried to tell led out of his arms I jumped into the water and so did a few others, but we couldn’t find her They dragged me out in the end, but I don’t remember I left Venice as soon as I recovered Ricki drowned three years later when he fell off a bridge during Carnevale’