Mutual passion has dissipated itself. There is a self-consciousness
of meeting eyes which tells of that dark work under the gloomy
buttresses of Notre Dame. Murder--a heavy burden!
Can they trust each other? They MUST. The weary secret of unpunished
crime grows heavier, day by day. In losing a tyrant, in the maid,
will she not gain a colder master in the man she marries? Who
knows?
Natalie Santos realizes that she has no legal proof whose hand
struck that fatal blow. But Villa Rocca can expose her to Hardin.
A fatal weakness. The anxious woman realizes what her false position
and idle luxury cost in heartache. It is life!
The roses turn to ashes on her cheeks as she paces her lonely
rooms. Restless and weary in the Bois, she is even more dull and
"distraite" in society. The repression of her secret, the daily
presence of the daughter she dares not own, all weary her heart
and soul. She feels that her power over Hardin will be gone forever
when the heiress enters upon her rights. Has the child learned to
love another? Her life is barren, a burning waste.
Money, with its myriad luxuries, must be gained by the marriage
with Villa Rocca. To see her child inherit an honored name, and in
possession of millions, will be revenge enough upon Philip Hardin.
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