She had considered carefully how she would approach the matter. As Persy saw it, she had really had two potential courses of action: the academic approach or the more personal. The former, she knew, would likely evade suspicion. The latter was a riskier move, by her estimation, but would likely yield more specific results.

Persephone Broadmoor had never been a woman to shy away from risks, had arrived fully planning to ask about Thomasin specifically, opened her mouth to do just that—

And faltered.

Was her boldness not the reason she was in this predicament?

"I was wondering, Mr. Greengrass, if there was any paritcular cause that would drive a spirit from his or her typical haunts," Persy inquired instead. Merlin, how was she supposed to fix Thomasin if she couldn't even help her? "For—well, I am... writing a book. An academic text," she added, almost sharply, unwilling to be seen as frivolous even within her own flimsy excuse.