'I would rather have less gratitude and more—what shall I say?'
'Anything you like—within certain limits!' Aliandra laughed softly.
'I might say too much, and that might offend you. Or too little, and that would certainly bore you.'
'Could you not say just enough? Sometimes you say it very well. You can be tactful when you like.'
'If I say that I should like more love, you will think it too much. If I say affection, it is too little, and must seem ridiculous.'
Aliandra looked away from him, and rested her head against the hard back of the sofa for a moment.
'Why do you wish to marry me?' she asked suddenly, without turning to him. 'You could do much better, I am sure.'
'A man cannot do better than marry the woman he loves,' said Francesco, softly.
'He can marry a woman who loves him,' suggested Aliandra, laughing again.
'You cannot be serious very long,' he retorted. 'That is one reason why I love you. I hate serious people.'