‘Yes, I have.’ He sighed. ‘Mrs Ramsden traversed the entire length and breadth of London.’
‘What was she doing?’
‘What wasn’t she doing? Actually, I can tell you what she wasn’t doing. She wasn’t meeting the man she’s supposedly having an affair with. There was no sign of him anywhere.’
‘Perhaps she hadn’t arranged to meet him today.’
‘Perhaps not.’
‘Are you hungry?’
‘No. I’ve just eaten.’
‘Oh.’
‘Were you going to suggest something?’
‘I’m going home to get something to eat. I was going to invite you to join me if you hadn’t eaten yet this evening.’
‘Oh, I see. Can I come along anyway?’
‘Well, yes. As long as you don’t mind watching me have some soup.’
‘That was all you were going to offer me? Soup?’ Philip smiled.
‘I’m afraid so. I’m not much of a cook.’
‘Well, even after the meal I’ve just had, I might be able to manage a little soup.’
As they walked the short distance to Augusta’s flat, Philip told her about his day.
‘After Mrs Ramsden left the hairdressers in Belgravia, I had to follow her up to Hampstead.’
‘By train?’
‘No, she took a taxi. So I followed behind in another taxi. She met a friend up there and went for a little walk on the heath.’
‘So you had to walk around on Hampstead Heath following them?’
‘Yes, I did. Fortunately, it wasn’t a very long walk because they then went into Hampstead for some lunch. It was a nice restaurant, actually.’
‘You ate there yourself?’
He nodded. ‘At a table in the corner.’
‘Well, that doesn’t sound too difficult.’
‘No, it wasn’t. I enjoyed that bit. But after that she travelled by taxi back to central London and did some shopping in Covent Garden.’
‘You had to follow her around the shops?’
‘Yes. That was rather boring. Then she took another long taxi journey down to Richmond. She met a friend in a restaurant there for dinner.’
‘And you had to eat in that restaurant too?’
‘No, I couldn’t see a table suitable for me to hide at. So I had a quick meal at a cheaper restaurant nearby. Not that Richmond has many cheap restaurants. And after I’d dined there, I peered in through the windows of Mrs Ramsden’s restaurant periodically.’
‘Weren’t you worried she would see you?’
‘Yes, I’m wary of that. I think some changes to my appearance will help. These are proving quite useful.’ He pulled a pair of spectacles out of his pocket and put them on. ‘These used to belong to my father.’
Augusta smiled. ‘You actually look quite different in them. Do they have proper lenses?’
‘Yes. But they’re not particularly thick lenses, so I can wear them for a little while before I get a headache.’
Augusta laughed. ‘I think you need to buy yourself a pair with clear lenses so they’ll be easier to wear.’
‘Yes, I think that’s an excellent idea, Augusta.’
‘Don’t tell me you’re going to get yourself a false moustache next.’
‘The thought has entered my mind. A false moustache can be irritating to wear and there’s a risk of it falling off. But if I were to get a small moustache, it hopefully wouldn’t cause too much trouble.’
‘I was actually joking about the moustache.’
‘Oh. I see.’
They reached the door next to the tailor’s shop. Augusta unlocked it and they climbed the steps to her flat.
