In Bed With the Devil(107)

My mother. I can see her so clearly now. She had the gentlest of smiles. I remember her tucking me into bed at night and whispering that I would become an exceptional earl.

My wife assures me that is the way of it, that I have fulfilled my mother’s prediction, but then she is rather biased. She loves me in spite of my flaws. Or perhaps because of them.

My friendship with Jack remains strained. I want to believe that he was duped, but he has always been far too clever to fall for another man’s ruse. So we have added yet one more thing to our relationship about which we never speak. Sometimes I think we will break beneath the weight of it, but on those occasions I have but to look at my wife in order to find the strength to carry on. I am determined to be worthy of her and that requires that I be a far stronger and better man than I had ever planned to be.

We see Frannie from time to time, not as often as we’d like unfortunately. She did eventually marry, but that is her story to tell.

Dear Frannie, darling Frannie.

She shall always remain the love of my youth, the one for whom I sold my soul to the devil. But Catherine, my beloved Catherine, shall always be the center of my heart, the one who, in the final hour, would not let the devil have me.