Summary

Part One, Chapter Three opens with Bex discussing the rumors that plagued her engagement to Nick: people believed she had come to Oxford with the express purpose of wooing Nick. However, Bex reveals she hardly saw Nick at all during her first few weeks at Oxford, as he kept a low profile and was busy with governmental affairs.

Early one morning, Bex goes out for a walk, hoping to draw the campus and get some fresh air. While out on the rugged trail, she runs into Nick, who is studying in solitude. He is doing a crossword puzzle, which he reveals is a personal contest between him and his brother, Freddie. Bex tries to leave Nick in peace, but he insists that she stay and they have a long conversation about their families. Their interaction is lighthearted, natural...