“So you’ve said,” Genevieve murmured. “Three times in the past hour alone.”

“Well, only to reiterate my point.”

“Which is what precisely?”

“That I’m glad he’s gone.”

“Yes, that is, er, evident. However, you do realize that Mr. Stanton will be returning to Little Longstone. Tomorrow.”

Catherine waved aside the comment. “Yes, but by then I’ll have everything once again settled into perspective. I’m certain my chat with you will clear up all my… confusion. Then, he’ll be here for only a few more days, and poof!” She snapped her fingers. “Back to London he’ll go.”

“A prospect that makes you happy?”

“Deliriously happy,” Catherine agreed. “Then Spencer and I can resume our routine without interruption.”

When Genevieve made no reply, Catherine glanced toward the settee. The expression of utter disbelief on her friend’s face caused her footsteps to falter, and she halted. “What?”

“Catherine, has it not occurred to you that the ‘interruption’ Mr. Stanton has brought to your routine is a good thing?” Before Catherine could reply, Genevieve continued, “From everything you’ve told me, the man is divine. Naturally he’s irritating at times, but as I’ve told you, all men are. However, all men are not the other things your Mr. Stanton is-handsome, strong, romantic, thoughtful. An accomplished and generous lover.”

Heat rose in Catherine’s cheeks, and Genevieve laughed. “Yes, I can tell that without your divulging any specific details, darling. The look of a well-loved woman is written all over you.”

“I never said he wasn’t all those things,” Catherine said. “But-”

“And the friendship he’s taken the time to forge with your son is clearly bolstering Spencer’s confidence. Surely that must please you.”

“In one way, yes, but it also represents another source of concern. I fear Spencer stands to be devastated when Andrew returns to London for good.”

“And what about you, Catherine?” Genevieve asked gently, her blue eyes soft with concern. “Do you, too, stand to be devastated?”

“Certainly not,” Catherine said, but somehow the words badly affected her knees to the point that she sought refuge in the wing chair opposite Genevieve. Once seated, she continued, “Today’s Modern Woman is not devastated by the end of an affair.”

“Darling, any woman would be devastated by the end of an affair if she cared deeply for her lover. I know firsthand of such heartbreaking pain, and trust me, I would not wish it upon anyone.”

“Well, I run no risk of that as I do not care ‘deeply’ for Andrew.”

“Really?”

Catherine laughed lightly. “I don’t mean to imply that I don’t care for him at all. ‘Tis just that I barely know him. I’ll readily admit that I desire him; however, deeper feelings that could leave one ’devastated‘ only develop over long periods of time. And most often between people who share common interests and backgrounds.”

Genevieve nodded. “Naturally a lady of your noble lineage would share few common interests with a man of Mr. Stanton’s background. Why, he’s a commoner! Even worse, a colonial commoner.”

“Precisely,”Catherine said, although Genevieve’s ready agreement and true words irked.

“ ‘Tis a blessing that your attraction to Mr. Stanton is merely physical and that his departure for London at week’s end will not affect you adversely in the slightest.”

“A blessing indeed.”

An exasperated sound escaped Genevieve. “Catherine, what I am about to say, I say out of love, friendship, and loyalty to you.” Leaning forward, she pinned Catherine with an emotion-filled stare. “I have never, in my entire life, been forced to endure listening to a more ridiculous pile of rubbish. I’m utterly flabbergasted that I heard such idiotic notions coming from you, of all people. Not to mention lies.”

Dismay, edged with stunned amazement, not to mention a dose of hurt, flooded Catherine. “I would not lie to you, Genevieve.”

“It’s not me, but yourself that you’re lying to, my dear. You may say ‘I’m glad he’s gone’ and ‘I’m only engaging in a temporary affair’ as many times as you wish, but even a million utterances will not make those words true. You’re certainly not convincing me, and I think, if you took the time to examine your own heart, you’d realize that you can’t convince yourself, either. No matter how hard we try to wish away our heart’s desire, we cannot. We may choose not to act upon it, but we cannot ever fully wish it away.”

Catherine opened her mouth to reply, but before she could utter a word, Genevieve pressed on. “Even if we assume for one insane moment that your feelings for Mr. Stanton fall into the lukewarm category, have you given any thought at all to his feelings for you? Because I assure you, they are anything but lukewarm.”

Genevieve’s words threatened to bring to the foreground emotions Catherine refused to examine. “I realize he cares for me, but he agreed that when the week is over, our affair ends as well.”

There was no missing the combination of concern and annoyance emanating from Genevieve’s eyes. “Darling, he more than cares for you. I could see it plainly at the duke’s soiree. The way he looked at you when he knew himself observed, and even more telling, the way he looked at you when he believed himself unobserved…”She breathed out a long, shivery sigh. “My God. The passion, the want, the emotion in his eyes was blatant. Watching him look at you, waltz with you, I felt as if I’d walked in on an intimate tкte-а-tкte. You are sadly mistaken if you believe that man will simply vanish from your life in a week’s time.”

“I do not intend to give him a choice. He knows full well, as do you, that I’ve no intention of marrying again. And even if I wished to shackle myself to another husband, I certainly would not choose a man whose life is in London. I’ve no intention of removing Spencer from the security of our home, from the life we’ve created here in Little Longstone, from the healing warm springs. And if my husband and I were to live separately, lead separate lives, what is the point in marrying? Spencer and I have already suffered through such an arrangement, and once is quite enough.”

Genevieve leaned back and raised her brows. “Has Mr. Stanton asked you to marry him?”

“Well, no, but-”

“Hinted that he intends to ask you?”

Catherine frowned. “No, but-”

“Perhaps you are worrying for naught. Perhaps all he wants is a long-standing affair.”

“Which is unfortunate as I was, and am, only willing to engage in a short-lived affair.”

Genevieve nodded slowly. “Yes, well perhaps that is best. After all, a prolonged affair would entail spending more time together, which in turn could lead to those feelings that might leave one devastated when the affair ended.”

“Exactly.”

“Best to cut things off before there is any risk of developing a deeper attachment.”

“Precisely.”

“After all, except for in the biblical sense, you barely know Mr. Stanton.”

“Correct.”

“What do you know of his background? His family? His upbringing? His life in America?”

“Nothing,”Catherine answered, relaxing a bit. Finally, this conversation was on the proper course.

Genevieve frowned. “Although… you were very well acquainted with Lord Bickley before he asked for your hand, were you not?”

A warning bell chimed in the back of Catherine’s mind. “Our families were well acquainted, yes,” she admitted.

“Indeed, I recall you mentioning that you’d known him nearly your entire life, is that not correct?”

“Yes.”

“And you believed that he was a decent, kind, loving man.”

Catherine frowned. “I see what you are trying to do, Genevieve, but what you are saying only serves to prove my point. Yes, when I married Bertrand-a man I’d known my entire life-I believed us well matched. I thought him kind and decent. And although I did not harbor any deep, heartrending emotion toward him, I felt respect and an affection that I was confident would bloom into an abiding love. I honestly cared for him. And look how disastrously my marriage turned out. If I’m capable of so misjudging a man I’d known for years, how could I hope to properly judge a man with whom I’m barely acquainted?”

Genevieve searched her gaze for several seconds then said, “I shall give you an honest answer to that question Catherine. Lord Bickely was cosseted and fussed over his entire privileged life. I’d wager to say that if Spencer had been born perfect, you and your viscount would have maintained a formal, friendly union, without either of you ever developing any ‘deep’ or ‘heartrending’ emotions toward one another. It was when adversity was thrown at your husband that he showed his true character.”

“I wholeheartedly agree. My father has often said that how a man handles difficulties is the true test of his worth.”

“And look how Mr. Stanton has handled himself since arriving in London. He has remained steadfast and loyal to your brother and their museum project. He kept a calm, cool head, protecting you and administering aid when you were hurt. He set his own concerns aside to escort you to Little Longstone to ensure your safety. He has taken the time to develop a relationship with your son. He is not a pampered aristocrat, but a man who has made himself. In the short time you’ve known him, you’ve shared more intimacies with him than you did with your husband of ten years. That is how you know what sort of man he is.”

Catherine closed her eyes and pressed her fingertips against her temples. “Why are you saying these things? I came here hoping you’d help me see things more clearly.”

“That is precisely what I am attempting to do. I believe the problem is that I am not saying the things you wish to hear.”