The air outside was damp, and I pulled my collar up around my neck and set off with my head down against the chill. I’d no sooner taken five steps than I bumped into someone heading toward the Academy. “So sorry!” I began, stumbling back in full apology mode. “I wasn’t looking—Oh.” It was Jamie, standing there in a double-breasted black coat that made him look like he was about to star in a Guy Ritchie film about an old Etonian bank robber. “No need to apologize!” he said, throwing his hands in the air in fake surprise. “This is a top street for bumping into well-mannered ladies. I come here a lot.” I wasn’t feeling very smiley, but one crept out. “Lovely! I was on my way to see you, actually,” he went on. I didn’t think I could summon up the necessary lightness of heart to flirt with Jamie right now. “I was just going out for a coffee,” I said. “Then let me join you. Do you mind?” I shook my head, and we started walking down toward Shepherd’s Market.
