Lunch with the Professor had been such a show, and Jonathan wanted to tell Molly. He called her from the Bamboozle Bar before he left to check she was up to a visit. She said brightly she would be more than pleased to see him.
When he arrived, Molly was still reading and responding to messages on the Notice Space. Linorio had met so many people over the years. She had started to get overwhelmed with it all again and was pleased to have Jonathan’s visit as a distraction.
She asked how the ballet had been.
“It was OK. I’m not quite sure if I share Belle’s taste in entertainment. But I had a wonderful lunch with the Professor.”
They sat and drank tea, discussing the Professor’s speech and the crowd that had formed around him.
“He would have loved that. The Professor adores having an audience.” She laughed and laughed. “Did he do his bow at the end?”
“Yes, he did. What an eccentric character he is. And so charming,” said Jonathan and noticed the girlish blush in Molly’s cheeks again.
The conversation turned once more to Linorio and they discussed the comments on the Notice Space. Jonathan decided to tell Molly his plan.
He drew a deep breath and announced, “I’m going to go and find Linorio.”
He told her what he had found, which confirmed her thoughts about the upcoming award. And he told her about the port town of Puerto Verdad, near Iquitos, Peru, that Linorio had mentioned in the interview.
“I know that town,” she said completely taken aback. “I never went there, but he pointed it out on a map once.” She paused, deep in thought. She had remembered something.
And then, very calmly, she said, “I’ll come with you.”
“Oh, Molly, that’s amazing! I’ll need time to hand things over at the Academy. Belle can look after your plants. We’ll need supplies, and we’ll have to organize flights and our permits. Are there any detailed maps? I’ve looked it up and it’s pretty remote. I’ll check the transport. And there’s Henry’s show on Wednesday. I have to be there. Can you be ready on Thursday morning?”
“Absolutely,” was all she said, with the biggest smile.