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"Oh?"

"I understand--that is to say, I've heard that many men keep mistresses"

Belle slowly nodded "That is true"

"And that many of them continue to keep their mistresses after they are wed"

"Oh, Henry, is that was this is about? Are you afraid Dunford is going to keep a mistress? I can assure you he won't, not when he loves you so ine you'll keep him so busy he won't have time for a mistress"

"But does he have one now?" Henry persisted "I know I cannot expect that he has led the life of aht have had liaisons before he ainst him if he didn't even know me at the time But what if he still has a ive you anything less than co a mistress when he left for Cornwall, but I don't think he has seen her since he returned I swear it I'm sure he's broken it off with her by now Or if he hasn't, he's going to"

Henry licked her lips thoughtfully, relief sinking into her bones Of course, that was it He was planning to see this Christine Fooht to tell her she would need to seek another protector She'd rather that he had taken care of the task when they first arrived in London, but she couldn't censure hi off as probably an unpleasant chore Henry was sure that his ine any wo to part with him

"Did John keep a mistress before he htfully personal"

"It's all right," Belle assured her "Actually, John was not keeping ain London It's quite a coh, and he stopped seeing her the minute he met Emma I'm sure it's the same for you and Dunford"

Belle sounded so convinced that Henry couldn't help but believe her It was, after all, what she wanted to believe And in her heart she kneas true

For all her certainty in Dunford's innocence, Henry still found herself oddly jittery on Friday She was startled every tihtest noise e of Shakespeare, and the thought of food made her sick

Dunford collected her for their daily walk at three in the afternoon, and the sight of hiue-tied All she could think about was that he would be seeing HER that evening She wondered what they would say to each other What did SHE look like? Was she beautiful? Did she look like Henry? Please, God, don't let her look like ht She wasn't entirely certain why this ht be ill if she found out she resembled Christine Fowler in any way

"What has you so preoccupied?" Dunford asked, sathering, I'hts"

"Oh, they're not worth it," she said with unnecessary force "Believe me"

He looked at her oddly They walked on for a few paces before he said, "I hear you have beenuse of Lord Worth's library"