Chapter One
"Miss Fisher?"
"Yes, Inspector?"
"First of all, I think I should apologise. When I suggested lunch with the gentleman from Consolidated Copper, I knew it might be a touch challenging, but thought you would be able to help him locate his wife's diamonds."
"Please don't worry, Inspector, I quite understand that your intentions were of the best."
"You're most generous, Miss Fisher. I find myself moved to ask, though, whether you happen to have your lock pick about your person?"
"I do indeed. I am a big believer in keeping my most important assets close."
"I'm delighted to hear that we agree on these things, Miss Fisher. After all, you agreed to marry me."
"I did, didn't I? So far, that seems to have worked out rather nicely."
"You could be forgiven for thinking otherwise based on today's experience. It's perhaps a silly question to ask whether you can reach your lock pick?"
"Inspector, neither of us can reach it. Not with our hands anyway. I am quite flexible – as you will know – but with my hands cuffed behind me, I am unable to reach my lock pick. And as your hands are cuffed to mine, I fear you can't either. One thought does occur to me …"
"Yes, Miss Fisher?"
"I could reach it if it had been dropped on the floor. And I once taunted a tennis player that you were extremely talented in using your teeth about a lady's person."
"Oh, God."
"Inspector, this is no time to be coy. It's not as though your teeth haven't been there before."
"This isn't quite the same, Miss Fisher. I suppose I should just be glad that we didn't find ourselves in this situation a year ago."
"Forgive me if I sound acerbic, Inspector, but if we had, an awful lot more fun could have been had an awful lot sooner."
"I knew I loved you, Miss Fisher. Hold still."
