Having completed the admissions, Margaret had gone on to her storytelling hour with the infants class, and was descending from the schoolroom when the door to the superintendent’s office on the third floor opened, and none other than the man who had tried to buy her place in the line at Delmonico’s stepped into the corridor. Unremarkable is how she would have described him if asked, yet she recognised Randolph Mueller instantly. And it seemed, from the way he was smiling at her, that she was not alone.

“Well, well,” he said, “we meet again, Lady Margaret.”

“How do you know my name?”

“Titian-haired, Scottish accent, and feisty. Your reputation preceded you.”

“No it didn’t. You had no idea who I was when you tried to bribe me.”

“I offered to buy you dinner in return for a small favour, hardly a capital offence,” Mr. Mueller said, holding up his hands in surrender. “You’re right. I didn’t know who you were when I very politely asked you to switch places, but it wasn’t too difficult to find out. What are you doing here, may I ask? You’re a long way from your natural habitat.”

“As are you. I help out here four days a week. What’s your excuse?”

“I guess you could say I’m helping out, too. Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but do you think we could start over?”

“Does that mean you are going to offer to buy me dinner again?”

“What an excellent suggestion.”

“I assume you’re joking!”

“I wasn’t. Why not?”

“Dinner, just the two of us? In London that would be tantamount to a proposal.”

“I don’t have any designs on you other than to get to know you, but when you put it like that, maybe it’s a bad idea. Though this isn’t London.”

“Very true.” Margaret was tempted. Though she had no shortage of friends and acquaintances, since Marion had left she’d had no confidante, and even Marion had been no substitute for the one person she had always confided in. In Donald she had found a kindred spirit and it was that closeness that was lacking in her life. She had no idea whether the man still smiling encouragingly at her was the solution, but she was drawn to him, and she’d never find out if she snubbed him.

“I’ll tell you what, Mr. Mueller. I think dinner is a step too far, but if you are free now, you could take me to lunch.”

She saw with quiet satisfaction that her answer had both surprised and pleased him. “How long do you have?”

“I’m finished for the day, actually, but if you were thinking of Delmonico’s . . .”

“I know it’s sacrilege to say so, but I only dine at Delmonico’s when I’m doing business. Personally, my taste is for something a bit less formal.”

“Really?”