Contents
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Overview
Theo tails Kathy to verify her story about meeting a friend after rehearsal, fearing she is lying. After covertly following her across the city, Theo sees Kathy meet Nicole as claimed. Instead of relief, Theo feels disappointment, revealing his deepening mistrust and need for confirmation, sharpening his unstable emotional state.
Summary
Theo quizzes Kathy about her post-rehearsal plans and pretends to forget Nicole’s name, noting the seven o’clock meeting time. Suspicious, he goes to the South Bank before seven and waits outside the rehearsal building, watching for Kathy but not seeing her leave.
Concerned she lied about rehearsal, Theo enters the building and hears Kathy on the stairs ending a phone call, narrowly avoiding being seen. He follows her as she exits, tracks her across the bridge, through Embankment station, and into Soho, staying hidden while crafting excuses should he be discovered.
From a pub across the street, Theo surveils Kathy as she waits at a busy corner, fretting over the identity of the person she’ll meet and imagining an affair. After tense minutes, a woman arrives: Nicole, Kathy’s friend. They greet warmly and leave together, confirming Kathy told the truth.
Confronted with proof of Kathy’s honesty, Theo is unsettled by his reaction. Rather than feeling relieved, he feels disappointed, exposing his growing mistrust, jealousy, and craving to validate suspicions—signaling a troubling shift in his emotional balance.
Who Appears
- Theo FaberNarrator; secretly follows Kathy after rehearsal, suspects infidelity, confirms her honesty, and feels disturbing disappointment instead of relief.
- KathyTheo’s wife; says she’ll meet Nicole, leaves rehearsal, is followed to Soho, and meets Nicole as claimed.
- NicoleKathy’s friend; arrives late to meet Kathy in Soho, confirming Kathy’s story.