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There was a pause. Jonathan’s jaw tensed—barely perceptibly—but his expression shifted ever so slightly. The warmth drained from his eyes, replaced by something harder to read.

“Oh,” he said, forcing a small smile. “That’s because I didn’t contribute that much. Just offered some support here and there. Nothing worth co-authorship.” He waved a hand dismissively, but the faint bitterness in his tone didn’t go unnoticed.

James glanced at Marco, then back at Jonathan.

“Okay… so why did you move here?” he asked, watching Jonathan carefully.

Jonathan gave a small shrug, eyes flicking briefly toward the staircase where Elise had gone.

“Oh, it’s nothing dramatic,” he said. “I met Elise while I was doing research with Professor Vittoria Mancini in Oxford — she was assisting me with a spectroscopy calibration project. Smart, organized, always two steps ahead of me in the lab.” He smiled faintly. “One thing led to another… we fell in love. And this town? It’s her hometown. Quiet, peaceful. After spending years in academia, it felt like the right place to start over.”

A thoughtful look crossed his face as he added softly, “Maybe Professor Mancini was thinking the same.”

James studied Jonathan for a moment, then asked carefully, “Are you sure it wasn’t because Vittoria moved here?”

Jonathan’s smile faded—just slightly. He looked down at his tea, swirling what little remained at the bottom of the cup before setting it back on the saucer.

“She moved here first, didn’t she?” James added quietly.

There was a pause. Then Jonathan gave a slow nod, his expression unreadable. “Yes… she did.”