“Am I that transparent?” He laughed self-consciously. “I know. She’s come through everything we’ve asked of her. New York won’t faze her. But she still has a fight on her hands. The least thing could carry her off—fever, a bad virus, even dirty food. She still has no immune system to speak of, Grace. The drugs shut down virtually everything. Eventually we hope to reduce them to the barest minimum, but until then we track every major temperature fluctuation, infection, or rejection. Get it right and she’s fine; get it wrong and we lose her.” He looked at his hostess, who seemed surprised to hear him think aloud. “Of course, we have to balance this against the fact that she seems almost uncannily well. It’s as if my head and my heart have a completely antithetical view of it.” He smiled enigmatically at Grace. “I don’t let things get to me; but worrying about her has become a habit now. A good habit.”

Grace smiled, pleased with the subtext. “It’s reassuring to know you’re human. I have an image of you from Lucy as someone who can cope with everything without blinking—finding a cool path across volcanic ground.” She intended a compliment; but he looked at her, troubled.

“Does it seem so?” He hesitated for a moment, then smiled at her. “I was catatonic when my marriage ended, Grace. I didn’t see it coming. I should have. Poor Anna hardly saw me, and when she did I was always completely drained. She was working part-time at home editing books, with a toddler and no adult company, me on thirteen-hour-plus days. I was a senior house officer just before Max was born, doing emergency takes; and it was competitive finding a suitable specialist registrar post. Then, moving into immunology, there was more specialist training, and homework—five years of it, with the difficult pathology exams at the end. I know now that Anna felt deserted. Even now the hours are heavy, but they were nonnegotiable then. I think she thought me selfish about medicine—obsessed; and I suppose I am. When she finally confronted me, I couldn’t blame her. But it’s taken a long time to even consider another close relationship.”

Grace rolled her eyes with a look of doubt, and he laughed.