"I could never be in love with anyone again," she said, her voice very low.
"Quite sure?" said Burke.
Something in his tone made her look up sharply. His eyes were intently and critically upon her, but the glow had gone out of them. They told her nothing.
"Do you think we need discuss this subject?" she asked him uneasily.
"Not if you prefer to shirk it," he said. She flushed a little.
"But I don't shirk. I'm not that sort."
"No," he said. "I don't think you are. You may be frightened, but you won't run away."
"But I'm not frightened," she asserted boldly, looking him squarely in the face. "We are friends, you and I. And—we are going to trust each other. Being married isn't going to make any difference to us. It was just a matter of convenience and—we are going to forget it."
She paused. Burke's face had not altered. He was looking back at her with perfectly steady eyes.
"Very simple in theory," he said. "Won't you finish?"
"That's all," she said lightly. "Except—if you really want to kiss me now and then—you can do so. Only don't be silly about it!"