He pulled himself out of the bed, and while he picked up his scattered clothes and put them on he wondered, in a detached way, whether he had already ruined his life. Effie might very well be awake. It was Sunday morning, and she’d probably want to go to church. He wouldn’t have the opportunity for a shower before she saw him, and Alma’s scent, hers and his, was all over him—the room was dense with it: the smell of semen, of Alma’s vagina, of something feral they’d made in common, which hung close to his skin like musk. They’d made a mess of the bed. The dresses, which they hadn’t bothered to push aside, were probably ruined.

Alma rolled over onto her stomach, resting her head in the crook of her arm, and smiled back at him as he zipped and buttoned his trousers. She was posing for him: displaying her behind, giving him one last peek through the star-shaped gap between her thighs and buttocks. How could he leave her, even for a moment? He sat on the edge of the bed and ran his hand over the smooth skin, the hairs at the small of her back, the raised mole between her shoulder blades. Incredibly, he felt himself getting hard again. He had to go.

“I’ll wait a while after you’re gone,” she said. “Before I leave. In case anyone’s passing in the street.”

He smiled. “You can’t be too careful.”

“I’ll see you soon?”

“In just a few hours. Hopefully.” He caressed her hair. “We’re going to be roommates now,” he said.

“That’ll be interesting.”

He kissed her long on the lips and kissed her head, breathing her in. If the worst happened, he might never see her this way again. But he got to his feet and crossed to the door, and after one last look at her from the doorway, he made his way out.

New Hampshire Avenue lay clearly visible in the dawn. The detachment he’d felt about his future was beginning to wear off, now that he was walking back to the cottage. His carelessness astonished him. It was as if he were courting ruin, as if he wanted to be caught. But he didn’t, he knew he didn’t. He went inside the house and up the stairs like a condemned man. It was just after six.