Love

In the glow of The Immortal Hour, Christopher Monckton first notices Catherine Cumfrit as a stranger who seems to share his secret devotion. Their shy, witty exchanges soon deepen into a charged intimacy, and when he learns that she is a widow, relief and desire flood together into first love. But Catherine remains elusive: calm, self-possessed, and bound to a life Christopher can barely glimpse, while he grows restless to know her beyond the theatre's enchantment. A rain-soaked taxi ride, a tentative invitation, and a mistaken fear of a rival named Stephen—who proves to be Catherine's son—push Christopher further into longing and uncertainty. Determined to see her properly, he pursues her into the complicated world of her London flat and family, where class, tact, and unspoken feeling shape every conversation. There he meets Virginia, faces the cool scrutiny of Mrs. Colquhoun, and discovers that love is as much awkwardness and restraint as it is passion. As Christopher's idealized hope collides with Catherine's strained domestic reality, The Immortal Hour becomes the backdrop for a tender, troubling romance about loneliness, self-possession, and the perilous first steps toward intimacy. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.