Again, Arven felt like a very ill-suited mentor. He felt that what Miss Madeleine Backus needed more than a husband was exactly that — a mentor. A friend who could give her strong, sound advice that suited both her needs and her wants. Ideally a lady who'd been through what she'd been through and came up smiling. But every time Arven offered advice, whether it was to engage in philanthropy abroad or ally herself with a boy who'd embrace her nature, she sort of politely brushed him off. His advice just didn't stick.

It seemed his role, instead, was to inspire her to suddenly run off and ride elephants in India. If Madeleine wouldn't take his more practical advice to balance out the wildness he inspired, Arven felt he could be a rather dangerous influence on her — despite his good intentions.

But he couldn't bring himself to turn down her offer of friendship; not when she'd felt such rejection at what she'd thought had been his failure to write to her. So he gave a smile, and gladly accepted; "I'd be delighted to visit you at the café from time to time; and to sample the cakes", he added. "Especially now that this country insists upon making itself my more permanent home."