"Not a problem at all," he says, standing. He seems a little relieved to have the distraction from Tim's absence, if anything.

Not long after, he's put down a perhaps slightly overzealous spread for Nessie, including cheese, crackers, olives, dried fruit, sliced meats, cucumber sandwiches, a pot of assam tea, a jar of honey, and a slice of lemon. God only knows how he assembled it all on such short notice.