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and Schoville think I’m ridiculous. They think I should be thankful—and I am, truly—but I can’t help wishing that I felt attached to something.”
    Patrick opened both his eyes. “Something…or someone?”
    Linley glanced over at him, and then darted her eyes away.
    “Are you lonely?” he asked. “Is that your fatal flaw? The one imperfection in your otherwise perfect and exciting life?”
    “I—I don’t know.”
    Patrick rolled over to face her. “Everyone feels lonely, Miss Talbot-Martin. It will come and go many times throughout your life,” he explained. “But no matter how alone you feel, there is always someone somewhere who feels the same as you. Someone who understands.”
    “You understand me.”
    He nodded. “Yes, I believe I do.”
    “Then I am very glad to have met you, indeed.”

    ***

    It was after dark when they passed through the souk . Patrick carried their packages of souvenirs under his arms while Linley walked with her stockings wadded up in her hands, too lazy to put them back on after going through all the trouble to get them off. The shops lining the narrow alleyways had long been packed up and closed. Only one or two still offered items for sale, usually at heavily discounted prices and questionable quality. The reputable merchants were all home with their families.
    The city was quiet, peaceful. A shell of the jostling, bustling creature it became during the day. At night, it filled with shadows, begging to be explored by the glow of the moon.
    “Are you sure there is no one out looking for you?” Patrick asked. He too saw the shadows, and the doorways, and the deserted streets. But unlike Linley, he saw them quite differently. “I just cannot imagine your father would allow you to wander the streets alone at night.”
    “I’m not alone,” she replied. “I’m with you.”
    For a moment, Patrick smiled. “I’d be worried about that too if I were him.”
    Linley rolled her eyes. “I am not a child. I do not need a nanny. Nor am I one of those London girls who can’t be trusted to walk out on their own. I am an adult. And my father treats me as one.”
    “I did not mean to insinuate that you were a child.”
    “Of course you did,” she said, turning on him. “I am a young, unmarried woman and, therefore, must be a child. Because—according to you—I am incapable of taking care of myself.”
    “That wasn’t what I meant.”
    Linley crossed her arms over her chest. “Then what exactly did you mean?”
    “I just meant it was dangerous,” Patrick said, blowing out a breath.
    “Dangerous? Really?” She looked around the deserted alley. “I don’t see any danger. In fact, I don’t see another living soul.”
    “I am used to dealing with women who have been coddled their whole lives,” Patrick explained. “You are smart, and capable, and clearly not one of those girls. I’m sorry if I insulted you.”
    Linley blinked up at him. “I—I’m sorry if I attacked you,” she said. “I’ve never had anyone try to coddle me before.”
    “It’s not so bad. You could get a nice electric toaster out of it.”
    They both burst out laughing.
    “Your poor sister,” Linley said, giggling. “I would have loved to see the look on her face.”
    “No, you wouldn’t,” he told her. “The whole situation was humiliating.”
    Linley was still laughing. “It serves you right,” she said. “You could have bought your sister something nicer than a toaster.”
    “Was that what you meant earlier when you said I looked like a man who owned more than one pair of shoes?”
    “I meant that you looked like a man of means. That you could afford more,” she said. “To be honest, I’m rather jealous of you. If I had money, I could do whatever I wanted. My father would never have to take a teaching position, and we could go on expeditions for the rest of our lives.”
    “You’re wrong if you think having money solves your problems,” Patrick explained. “It doesn’t.