Marcello swallowed, hard. "I could forego the marriage if I knew you were willing to raise a family with me and that you would be faithful. If not..." He shook his head.

"Which would make us married in every way save for the scars," Niabheara replied bitterly. She folded her arms and put her chin to her chest. "What is that to you? What would it mean? You want a family; you already have mine. You have your own if you would but open your mouth long enough to let them know you still care about them."

Marcello had already started to open his mouth, but the last statement stung. He recoiled. "I want children," he amended. "Why are you...why are you angry with me?" he asked. "I didn't do any of this. I've always been honest with you. I don't understand why you're--" He swallowed again, and rubbed his eyes. "Treating me like I'm the one who's done something wrong."

"I'm not angry!" she snapped back at him. "And I don't e'en know if I can have children; you know that! If that's the condition you might find yourself stuck with only me after all." She dug her fingernails into her arms. "I can't give you what you want. It's as much as that, and if that's what it depends on then we're done."

"I would say," Marcello replied hesitantly, "that I had never ruled out adopting a child if it came to that, but I don't think you're looking for me to try to compromise. And if you're not angry, I don't understand what you are."

"I would say that might have been a point worth mentioned somewhat earlier." But she loosened her claws from her arms. "I'm upset. I'm disappointed. I'm sick to my guts, but I'm not angry. I love you," she said, miserable. "I love you."

Marcello winced. "I love you, too," he answered. "But I can't love someone who is unfaithful. Are you upset with me? Disappointed in me? I need to understand why you did this. I need to know that it won't happen again." If he sounded robotic, it might have been because he didn't trust himself to say more.

"For you, I would say it will not happen again," she said tightly. "But I don't know if that's true, so I will not say it. I can't hurt you again." She shook her head. "You ne'er disappointed me. You know that already."

"Are you that...do you have that little faith in your own love that you do not think you can make me a promise and keep to it?" Marcello asked her, bitterly. "Tell me something," he said. "You came in here saying you did not want it to end like this but you have given me no hope, nothing but to say that it will. I am the first man in the history of the world who is betrayed and then must listen to my lady tell me how things must be if I do not wish her to leave me. That is not how it goes."

"I don't know how this is supposed to go!" she shot back, and then cringed. "You and Dierdre are the only people I've e'er loved as anything more than family or friends or playmates or . . . I thought I could keep my word before, and I couldn't. I didn't think it would be so easy to break a promise."