“And what do you make of us so far?”

“Hard to tell. I haven’t seen enough, or talked to many people yet.”

“A true diplomat.” Cordelia resumed eating.

Paddy chose a Duke Ellington record and put it on. As the air filled with the liquid sounds, Lindsay thought, I’m always going to remember this tune and what I was doing when I first heard it. She was embarrassed to find she could hardly take her eyes off Cordelia. She watched her hands cutting up the food and lifting the glass; she watched the changing planes of her face as she ate and drank. She found herself recalling a favorite quotation: “A man doesn’t love a woman because he thinks her clever or because he admires her but because he likes the way she scratches her head.” She thought that perhaps the reason her relationships had failed in the past was because she hadn’t looked for such details and learned to love them. She was surprised to find herself saying rather formally, “I was wondering if there was any chance you could be persuaded to give me half an hour during the weekend? I’d like to do an interview. Of course, I can’t guarantee that I’d be able to place the finished feature, but I’d like to try if you don’t mind me asking on a weekend when you’re intent on having fun with your old friends.”

Cordelia finished eating and put her plate down. She considered her glass for a moment. She turned to Paddy and said in a tone of self-mockery familiar to her friend, “What do you think, Paddy? Would I be safe with her? Is she going to lull me into a false sense of security and tempt me into indiscretions? Will she ask me difficult questions and refuse to be satisfied with easy answers?”

“Oh, undoubtedly!”

“Very well then, I accept the challenge. I will place myself in your hands. Shall we say Sunday morning while the school is at church?” Lindsay nodded agreement. “And don’t feel guilty about dragging me away from old friends. The number of people here I actually want to see can be counted on the fingers of one thumb. And there are plenty of others I’ll be glad of an excuse to avoid. Such as our esteemed guest of honor.”

“You’re not alone there,” said Paddy, struggling unsuccessfully to make her words sound lighthearted.