“And what did he say?”
“I don’t think he meant what he said; I can’t think so. But he talked about her in such a way that for a moment I thought he wanted to marry her.”
A fierce exclamation broke from the Minister, a milder one from Prince Herbert.
“If he does that, he shall never have another farthing from me; I will never acknowledge him again!”
“His infatuation for her is terrible,” the mother went on. “He even defended her to me. He told me that she had made sacrifices for him—that she was paying for the house.”
The two men exchanged glances. This was a deeper depth than either of them had suspected. Perhaps the Duchess would have suppressed this part of her information if she had understood how it would strike a man.
“Is there no chance that the woman herself may give him up now?”
The Duchess shook her head doubtfully.
“I should think not, from what he says. I hardly know what it is best to do. I think perhaps he might be induced to give an undertaking not to marry her, in return for some assistance.”
The Home Secretary made a face of disgust.