" let us hold our peace till after yule , " she pleaded . " it will be a joy to keep our secret to ourselves for a little space ; there will be time enough then to let all the world know . " rather reluctantly , earl paul agreed ; and next day he set off for the palace at orphir , leaving his lady - love behind him . little he guessed the danger he was in ! for , all unknown to him , his step - aunt , countess fraukirk , had chanced to be in the hall , the evening before , hidden behind a curtain , and she had overheard every word that morna and he had spoken , and her heart was filled with black rage . for she was a hard , ambitious woman , and she had always hated the young earl , who was no blood - relation to her , and who stood in the way of his brother , her own nephew ; for , if paul were only dead , harold would be the sole earl of orkney . and now that he had stolen the heart of the lady morna , whom her own nephew loved , her hate and anger knew no bounds . she had hastened off to her sister 's chamber as soon as the lovers had parted ; and there the two women had remained talking together till the chilly dawn broke in the sky .
why did countess fraukirk hate paul ?
if paul were only dead , harold would be the sole earl of orkney .
harold is her blood - nephew , while paul is not .