The city had been a revelation to him in that short time; George had loaned him a small but luxurious apartment in Mayfair, and the treasures he’d discovered in the nearby streets and lanes were never-ending. He’d told Virginia, who’d briefly come on the phone line with Walter, about how he’d walked three different ways to the office, each time coming across centuries-old churches and miniature timber-beamed public houses. But he had felt something shift in the past few weeks, and perhaps George had noticed it too—and seen how comfortable he was getting.

“Yes, that’s right,” he said, glancing at Theo. “It’s certainly gone quickly.”

Theo nodded.

“So, you’ve got a good measure of the place?”

“I’d like to think so.” Theo slowed again since they were nearly at the gate and he sensed this was a longer conversation.

“And Walter’s happy for you to stay for a while longer?” George said, as he turned to face him.

Theo wasn’t sure if it was a rhetorical question. “Yep, I believe so.”

“We’re really starting to achieve progress. It’s marvelous, really marvelous. There is just one thing . . .”

Theo could guess. He knew he was only here for a short time and that his allegiance was to the New York office. But he found it easy to feel at home with the Londoners, who had all been so welcoming. He’d had Tommy’s errant twin boys crawl all over him at supper, and he’d met Emily’s awkward fiancé, Timothy, who worked for a bank but dressed like an artist. And Theo had been embraced by George’s family. He didn’t want to play a part in closing the office down, nor did he believe it would make good business sense at this stage. He’d started to wonder if Walter might have another motivation, because as far as Theo could see, George was right: they were starting to achieve things. But perhaps not soon enough for George’s brother.

Theo suppressed a sigh. “What is it, George?”

“It’s Alice.”

“What about her?” he asked, now trying to hide his surprise.

“I’ve known her for some time, but I’ve found her behavior recently very . . . well, very unpredictable. She’s really not herself, and I’ve noticed the two of you have been spending quite a bit of time together. I’m wondering if she’s said anything.”

Theo was caught off guard; he hadn’t known her long enough for her to confide in him or for him to make a clear judgment on her behavior. Except that he found her to be intelligent, thoughtful, surprisingly knowledgeable and charmingly understated.

“I’m afraid not, George—I can’t say I’ve noticed anything out of the ordinary.”