Only the very lucky, indeed. He didn't believe that for an instant, but recognized it as the sort of thing people were apt to say when they were trying to be flattering. He supposed he was flattered, not by the sentiment so much as the fact that she had deemed him worth trying to cultivate as a potential client or patron. Or — flattered was perhaps the wrong word, because he was very self-assured regarding his own worth, but it did validate his ego to have others recognize it as well. Still — he ought to go back to his box. Being at a music hall with a handful of friends who had dragged him along was one thing, and sharing a glass of whiskey with the attractive owner of the establishment in a private room was quite another. Not that anyone at a place like this would be the sort to start rumors, but...

"Are any of your guests not in need of entertaining?" he quipped, still undecided on whether he wanted to move beyond the doorway or back out into the hall and return to his friends. "If one was of a mind for quiet contemplation, this seems like a suspect choice of venue."

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