‘You’re a scientist.’ ‘Not any more.’ ‘You never explained about that.’ ‘Well, I’ve left university.’ ‘But you were talking about a house of your aunt’s, or—’ ‘Oh. It’s … yes,’ she said, surprised that he remembered. ‘She left me a house, but as part of a dowry, held in trust to be handed to my future husband because the women of the family are traditionally stupid and my father won’t put it in my name. If I want it, and its very spacious and laboratory-sized cellar, I need to marry. There’s money too, which is also not in my name. Very simple really.’ She thought of stopping there, but his
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