Oh, I assure you. The story is quite dull.

[ she smiles -- albeit a little sadly. she's prepared this tale over and over again. there's just enough truth in it to ring real. ]

But I found myself smitten with New York City -- and I already had associates who worked there. And I'm afraid there wasn't much left in London for me once the dust settled.

[ he can read as much tragedy into that as he likes. and, certainly, if he presses then she'll at least give a nod toward her work. it hardly feels confidential, these days. but she doesn't go around volunteering it either. ]