Susan wants so very badly to ask, but she can't quite convince herself that it's for the purpose of ensuring that she hasn't erred in asking Sagramore for his help. So she resists the urge and instead says, "No? Very well. I might, if you thought it prudent."

She's only spoken to the man once in the past year - their paths rarely cross and since the only person they've got in common is a friend of Susan's (rather than, for example, Lancelot) she's given herself a pass on getting to know him better, given that they never really clicked in the first place.

"But they do say variety is the spice of life. I imagine if Shen Yuan should like to see his lover thus arrayed," tapping the edge of one of her sample calendars with a fingertip, "he need only ask."