She didn't miss that appreciation, and truthfully, she didn't mind it. After so many years, Helen is entirely comfortable in her skin and well aware of how well she's aged. It didn't hurt that he was an attractive person himself.

"Very flattering, but no. And I didn't roll it back, so much as slow it down." She was still smiling, and that hint of amusement hadn't gone anywhere. But there was nothing to suggest she was being anything less than serious.

As for his trouble with the design of the Speedo, well, she had no comment. Still too much the Victorian, perhaps. Or perhaps she simply wasn't sure what to make of it. It was hard to tell, really.