“I’m not noble.” He sipped his brandy thoughtfully. “It—she—is of no consequence anymore. The past is the past, over and done with. It cannot be changed and I see no need to dwell on it. I put Camille—Lady Lydingham—behind me longer ago than I can remember. As I said, proving something to her now is simply not worth my time.”

“Oh, bravo, Gray. Excellent speech.” Win raised his glass in a salute. “Most impressive. I don’t believe a word of it, of course, but still, it is impressive.”

“It scarcely matters whether you believe it or not.” Gray shrugged. “I have no interest in anything regarding Lady Lydingham—aside, perhaps, from the friendship we once shared.”

“I see.” Win sipped his brandy and considered his cousin thoughtfully. “You do realize she remains a widow and has not remarried, as I might have mentioned in my letters?”

“Indeed, you have.” Gray sipped his drink. “With remarkable frequency.”

“And you don’t care?”

“Not a bit.”

“Then were I to add, she is residing at her mother’s house for Christmas this year, no more than a thirty-minute ride from here, it would make no difference to you?”

“None whatsoever.”

“And if you were to come across her unexpectedly on the road, your heart would not beat faster like a trapped bird fluttering in your chest?”

“A trapped bird?” Gray laughed. “Good God, man, what has come over you?”

“I was trying to be poetical,” Win said in a lofty manner. “I have the heart of a poet, you know.”

“You do not.”

“Perhaps not.” Win shrugged. “It’s of no consequence at the moment, as it is not my heart we are discussing but yours.”

“Win.” Gray leaned forward and met his cousin’s gaze directly. “Admittedly, I once offered my heart to Camille Channing. And, yes, that did indeed contribute to my desire to make my way in the world, which I have done in a most successful manner. In that respect, she was the means to an end. Perhaps once, she was indeed the end, but no longer. I have no lingering feelings for her whatsoever, save those that one old friend has for another.”

“Then you would make no effort to avoid her?”

“I don’t see why I would.”

“And were you to meet her again—”

“ ‘Unexpectedly on the road’?” Gray grinned.

“Or wherever,” Win continued, “you would treat her as—”

“As one does any neighbor one has known for much of one’s life, as the friends we once were,” Gray said firmly. “With polite cordiality.”

“You would feel no need to sweep her into your arms, shower her with kisses and pledge your undying love?”

Gray laughed. “Good Lord, no.”

“If you are sure—”

“I am.”