All this casual contact is having a fascinating effect on him. It's both soothing and highly stimulating. It's as if he's getting much more oxygen, or he's recovering from some sort of long-term illness. Yes, logically he knows it's all brain chemistry at work, and there are dozens of papers stored in his mind palace to back that up, but those are far less interesting to him right now than observing her firsthand.

"That's a dangerous blanket permission to give, Molly," he says, a grin stretching his mouth. But saying her name sets off that first wave of curiosity. "You know. Actually. I know you've seen my full name, when you did the death certificate, but I don't know yours. You haven't got anything monogrammed with your initials in your wardrobe, and I haven't seen them on any jewellery..."