“I neglected to tell you that Bob Cantor’s app had tracked him to London. My advice is just to pay your check and sneak out, so as to avoid a confrontation.”

“I certainly will. Goodbye.”

Stone watched as the yellow dot left the location and moved down to Burlington Arcade, while the green dot remained. Relieved, he closed his phone.

Geoffrey came into the room. “Dame Felicity is on the phone for you, Mr. Barrington. Line one.”

“Thank you, Geoffrey. Any trouble getting her boat started this morning?”

“None whatever, sir. I think it must have been flooded.”

Stone picked up the phone. “Good morning again.”

“And good morning to you.”

“No trouble getting your boat started this morning?”

“None. I expect the engine was flooded. Did we surprise you last night?”

“Yes, but very pleasantly. I can’t think when I’ve enjoyed being surprised so much.”

“You certainly rose to the occasion, and you acquitted yourself very nicely.”

“I had a lot of inspiration.”

“Perhaps we’ll do it again sometime.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“She’s a lovely girl. I can see why you’re so attracted to her.”

“She said much the same about you.”

“I’m so glad. Oh, has your post arrived yet?”

“Not yet.”

“When it does, you may expect to receive some interesting news.”

“Is that meant to be a surprise, too?”

“It is.”

At that moment, Geoffrey entered with some letters on a silver tray.

“Ah, here’s the post now. Which one is the surprise?”

“The one posted from the Isle of Wight.”

Stone found the postmark and opened the letter. It was from the secretary of the famous old yacht club across the Solent, informing him that he had been elected to membership. “Good God!” he said. “How did this happen?”

“Secretly,” she said. “You made a very good impression at the club, and if you’ll remember, you had several flag officers as guests at your dinner party last year.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“It was not difficult to gather the requisite number of proposers for your application, all of them prominent in the club. Those things can’t be rushed, but nearly a year has passed, and the wheels ground steadily in your absence.”

“I can’t thank you enough, Felicity,” he said earnestly. “It’s a wonderful club, and I shall enjoy using it.”

“Let me give you a phone number,” she said.

He wrote it down.

“That’s the club tailor, in Southampton. Ring him and he’ll come over and measure you for a reefer suit and a mess kit, and he’ll sell you a cap, as well. You’ll need both.”

“I shall certainly do so.”

“You’ll also need a stickpin for your necktie. That’s part of the regalia. Benzie’s, the jewelry store on the Parade in Cowes, will provide that.”

“I’ll stop in on my next trip over.”