"Just friends, really," she says quickly, blushing faintly at the question and glad--for different reasons--neither Neil nor David was in the apartment to have heard it. "He's a few years older than we are, but we're from close to the same time, back home. Different places, of course--he's from Vermont, in America--but the same general era."

She pauses, leaning down to ruffle Beau's ears. "I think that's why we became such good friends."