Domitian knew where Mr. Prewett's London residence was*, and it wasn't in their neighborhood. There was nothing in Domitian and Matilda's neighborhood that would draw outsiders unless she'd been paying a social call, which he doubted on a Monday afternoon. Her lie was a flimsy one.
(*He knew where it was now, anyway; between his own return to England and the end of Camilla's "honeymoon" he'd taken it upon himself to learn everything he could about her new husband, which was a considerable amount. He made a career out of finding people who didn't want to be found and bringing them to justice, after all, which meant it was hardly difficult to uncover all of the minute details of a life lived so publicly as Mr. Prewett apparently lived his. It was another mark against him in Domitian's book, since of course he preferred not to make himself so easily accessible to strangers.)
"You are staying for dinner, then?" he asked. "Or will you go back before?"
He could have said go back home before, but he intentionally avoided the word, at least until he knew what her purpose was here. If she was trying to escape something (unfortunately all too possible, given how little consideration she'd given to this arrangement before deciding to marry Mr. Prewett; there was no real way of knowing what sort of man he was except that he cared not a whit for her reputation) he didn't want to imply that he was unwilling to harbor her.
(*He knew where it was now, anyway; between his own return to England and the end of Camilla's "honeymoon" he'd taken it upon himself to learn everything he could about her new husband, which was a considerable amount. He made a career out of finding people who didn't want to be found and bringing them to justice, after all, which meant it was hardly difficult to uncover all of the minute details of a life lived so publicly as Mr. Prewett apparently lived his. It was another mark against him in Domitian's book, since of course he preferred not to make himself so easily accessible to strangers.)
"You are staying for dinner, then?" he asked. "Or will you go back before?"
He could have said go back home before, but he intentionally avoided the word, at least until he knew what her purpose was here. If she was trying to escape something (unfortunately all too possible, given how little consideration she'd given to this arrangement before deciding to marry Mr. Prewett; there was no real way of knowing what sort of man he was except that he cared not a whit for her reputation) he didn't want to imply that he was unwilling to harbor her.
