Free Brave Hearts by Carolyn Hart Page A

so excited and buoyant. “What’s happened?”
    He held the door for her. “I had to come home to tell you. It’s wonderful news, Catharine.”
    Something at the embassy, of course. The promotion he’d hoped for? Excitement touched her, too. If he’d received it, if it were certain and sure, perhaps he wouldn’t need her any longer. Her heart began to thud.
    â€œIt’s everything I’ve ever hoped for,” he began.
    Joy surged through her. It was happening, oh, God, it was. This could be the right time, perhaps the only time. He wouldn’t be hurt if she left him, not if he had his future assured. She could even suggest some kind of settlement—that is, with particular care that she not offend him by suggesting he’d sought her out because of her wealth. She began to smile. “Spencer, you’ve received your promotion.”
    â€œBetter than that. Of course, it isn’t at all what I’d expected. At first, I thought it was a disaster—until the ambassador told me I’d be a special envoy.”
    Catharine understood his excitement. She’d been a diplomat’s wife long enough to know what the title meant. A special envoy carried extraordinary power.
    The president wouldn’t appoint a special envoy to Great Britain. So where would Spencer be sent? But that didn’t matter to her now because if he had reached the level where he was a special envoy, he no longer needed her—and she could easily say she was going home to spend time with her family.
    She smiled at him, sharing his excitement. “That’s wonderful, absolutely wonderful. I’m so happy for you, Spencer. I know this means everything to you, and I’m so delighted you’ve been recognized. This means your career is assured now, doesn’t it?”
    â€œWell, if I can do a good job.”
    â€œOf course, you’ll do a good job. You always do a superior job.”
    He smiled at her gratefully. “Catharine, you’re a sport. I’ve always said that. I’ve always told everyone that. No man could be luckier in his wife than I am.”
    Her heart twisted at his words. Oh, God, don’t let him be grateful to her. Not now. Because she was going to tell him as soon as she could—not today so it wouldn’t tarnish his happiness in any way, but as soon as possible—that she wanted a divorce. She honestly thought that he wouldn’t care, not deeply. She felt certain of it. He depended upon her, and she’d been important to his career, to his progress up through the ranks, but they didn’t love each other. If he’d reached the level of special envoy, it wouldn’t matter if they were divorced. And he could put all the blame squarely on her. She would insist upon it.
    â€œWhere is the assignment, Spencer?”
    â€œHell of a distance,” he said ruefully, but his voice was still ebullient. “And it will mean some danger; the ambassador stressed that, but I told him we expect to take risks. Everybody knows crossing the Atlantic’s a chess game now, but torpedoes are no worse than bombs.”
    â€œCrossing the Atlantic?”
    â€œWe’ll go back to the States on our way. I’ll spend a week in Washington, being briefed. You can stay with Ted and Betty; then we’ll be on our way to San Francisco. We’ll ship out from there to Manila.”
    â€œManila.” She could scarcely take it in. They’d spent their lives in European capitals. She’d never been to the East, and she couldn’t imagine what it would be like, but she smiled happily. It didn’t matter to her. For the first time in years, she would make her own choices, her own decisions. No one in Manila would even remark about Spencer coming to his new post without his wife. After all, a stint as a special envoy was never permanent. It was a post assigned in response to a particular problem. The emphasis would be