The lady made a flirtatious little moue as she flicked her fan open and closed. “There was a time when you would never have waited two days to visit me, mon cher.”

“True,” Guy conceded. “But time moves on, my dear, for both of us.”

Clothilde’s blue eyes snapped, the flirtatious glint vanished, a sharpness in its stead. “Whatever can you mean, Guy?”

He took her hand, holding it gently but firmly. “I think you know what I mean, Clothilde. You have acquired other . . . shall we say other interests, in the last year, as have I.”

She withdrew her hand from his, her lip curling. “We’ve known each other for many years, Guy. We’ve amused each other when the opportunity arose, and we’ve both indulged ourselves elsewhere on occasion. But we have never been bourgeois about it.” She shrugged and threw out a dismissive hand. “Such petty little concerns have never troubled you before. What has changed?”

He seemed to consider the question before saying, “I find I have acquired a new sensibility about matters like loyalty, honesty, perhaps even fidelity.” He smiled at her. “Come, Clothilde, let us accept the time has come for us both. We took much pleasure in each other, but I find that I want more from a relationship than a superficial, mutually beneficial intimacy. And I fear, my dear, that you could never supply that.”

“Is it that simpleton?” she demanded with a cold anger that couldn’t disguise the hint of bewilderment in her voice. “The Rutherford woman that everyone’s talking about? For God’s sake, Guy, she knows nothing of the world, she’s everything we despise about the naïve English debutante who sees only marriage and breeding in her future. She’ll be a good, obedient wife to whatever man is dull enough to want a wife like that. You’ve always expressed contempt for such ninnies.”

Guy’s bark of laughter was harsh. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Clothilde. And you certainly know nothing about Miss Rutherford. But if my past hasty generalizations have come back to bite me, then I accept the consequences. As I said, things change, people change.”

“Well, you may have changed into a sentimental fool, Guy, but I certainly have not. I enjoyed your company precisely because you were above petty concerns.” She turned away from him.

Guy saw the tiny quiver of her hands as she flicked open the silver cigarette box on a side table. He moved swiftly to pick up the engraved lighter, flicking it open. She bent her head to the light, inhaled deeply and walked away from him to the window.

“Goodbye, Guy.”