When they arrived at the Institute, Anna changed much more quickly than Ariadne. She waited in the training room, nervously pacing, taking knives from the walls and throwing them to steady her nerves.

Just training. Simple training.

“You have a good arm,” Ariadne said.

Ariadne was stunning in her dresses; the gear revealed something else. She was still feminine, with her long hair and lush curves, but unencumbered by pounds of fabric, she moved with grace and speed.

“How would you like to begin?” Anna said. “Do you have a preferred weapon? Or should we do some climbing? Work on the beam?”

“Whatever you think is best,” Ariadne replied.

“Shall we start with blades?” Anna said, taking one from the wall.

Whatever Ariadne had been doing in Idris, it did not involve much training. She had been accurate in that. When she threw, her arm was weak. Anna came up and guided her, forcing herself to maintain her composure as she took Ariadne’s hand in hers and guided the toss. Ariadne was surprisingly good at climbing, but once on the ceiling beam, she took a bad tumble. Anna jumped underneath and caught her neatly.

“Oh, very impressive!” Ariadne said, smiling.

Anna stood there for a moment, Ariadne in her arms, unsure of what to do. There was something in Ariadne’s gaze, in the way she was looking at Anna … as if mesmerized….

How did she ask? How did this happen with someone like Ariadne?

It was too much.

“A very good attempt,” Anna said, gently setting Ariadne on her feet. “Just … watch your footing.”

“I think I’ve had enough of that for today,” Ariadne said. “How does one have fun in London?”

Oh, so many ways.

“Well,” Anna said. “There is the theater, and the zoo is—”

“No.” Ariadne took hold of one of the pillars and gently spun around it. “Fun. Surely you know a place.”

“Well,” Anna said, searching her mind frantically, “I know a place full of writers and poets. It is quite louche. It is in Soho and starts after midnight.”

“Then I assume you will be taking me,” Ariadne said, eyes sparkling. “I will wait for you by my window at midnight tonight.”

The wait that evening was excruciating.

Anna picked at her dinner and watched the clock across the room. Christopher was forming his carrots into a pyramid and working something out in his head. Her mother was feeding Alexander. Anna was counting her heartbeats. She had to try not to appear conspicuous. She spent some time in the family room with her baby brother; she picked up a book and cast an eye blankly over the pages. By nine she was able to stretch and say she was going to have a bath and retire.

Back in her room, Anna waited until she heard the other members of the household go to bed before changing her clothes. She had taken the time to clean her outfit and mend it as best she could. When she dressed, she looked dapper and dangerous. She had decided now that this was how she would dress if she slipped out on adventures, even to meet Ariadne.