For a moment, he seemed older than his seventy-eight years.

Then he said:

“I suppose I should have explained the arrangements before the ceremony.”

I stared.

It was the first time he’d acknowledged that possibility.

Julia asked about any prenuptial agreement.

There wasn’t one.

Arthur looked surprised that she considered the omission relevant.

Marcus explained that marriage, property, support, inheritance, and potential separation could produce legal questions different from the charitable donation itself.

The absence of an agreement didn’t automatically place his premarital fortune under my control.