Was this really the man who once loved her？

Clare's polite words gave her a moment of hope Tess came down immediately．She was already dressed，but her hands and face were cold．She had no fire in her bedroom， where she had been sitting waiting for his call，and staring at the dying mistletoe．Clare's polite words gave her a moment of hope，which died，however，when she saw his face．

They were both，in fact，the ashes of their former fires． After last night's passionate sorrow，they both felt heavy and lacking in energy．

Tess went up to Angel，touching him lightly with her fingers．Was this really the man who once loved her？ Her eyes were bright，her cheeks still round，but her lips were pale． She looked absolutely pure．Angel looked at her in wonder． ‘Tess！Say it isn't true！It can't be true！’ ‘It is true．’