I saw them as soon as I walked into the lounge at Brown’s Hotel in London. They were a handsome couple seated at the corner table set with elegant afternoon tea. Clearly the gentleman in a dark, tailored suit was British, and clearly he was enjoying the company of the young woman with him. From my table nearby, I could see his gaze never left her as he smiled and sipped his tea. She smiled back, her expression animated, her eyes dancing, her graceful hands gesturing as she entertained him, teasing him.

Suddenly everything changed. The man frowned sharply and uttered a few stiff words. Startled, the lady flushed with confusion and clasped her hands in her lap. He leaned forward, stern and disapproving. There was a quick exchange of words, he angry, she flustered. Abruptly she stood up. He stood up. Heads turned. Now everyone was looking at them. She blurted out something and hastily turned to leave. He stepped quickly to her side and spoke in a low voice. Uncertain, she glanced up at him and hesitated. In a quiet voice, he spoke one word more, and she relented. They turned back to their table and sat down.

What had just happened?

I know exactly. I wrote the novel.

90,000 words, unpublished, ready to go...