What faults women have, they learn from their husbands — from their abuse, their neglect, their infidelity — yet Emilia cannot call what she feels for her mistress a fault. Without their husbands, they might never have met, but what comes next must be of their own choosing. “Come away with me,” she says to Desdemona — if this is infidelity, let her be an infidel, break her troth, and begin anew.