The World Spinning Round (Beatles/Paul McCartney)

1. Flower Arranging and Luncheons

April 1968

Theo Dormer hated blind dates.

They were awkward, and it seemed like nothing good ever came of them. Regular first dates weren't much better, but at least they weren't masterminded by meddling relatives or friends. And he had a feeling that this might be the most awkward date of them all. Alice Edwards. Bloody hell.

It was all his sister's fault. He had a soft spot for Penelope, and she exploited it whenever possible. She'd first brought up the idea a few weeks prior over dinner, saying that he needed to make an exception to his usual grumpy self and go do something fun. She's been miserable ever since she got back from San Diego. C'mon, would it kill you to have some fun, Theodore?

The night of the date, she'd shown up at his flat unannounced and began to rifle through his closet, looking for a suitable outfit. Don't look so gloomy, she'd said as she tossed trousers and a shirt towards him. Most men would be thrilled to go out with her. Then, satisfied that he looked acceptable, she pushed him towards the door. Oh, and whatever you do, don't mention Paul McCartney.

Theo spent the taxi ride wondering what Alice would be like. He knew her brother from Eton, and their mothers played tennis together at the club. But he'd never met her. For all he knew, she was awful. So he decided that the most sensible course of action would be to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Put another way, he was mentally bracing himself for her to be either an insufferable Tory or a coked-out airhead.

It was lightly raining when the taxi dropped him off on a quiet street in Belgravia. He stepped out and stared at the white stucco Regency townhouse, which looked identical to every other building on the road. His dark blonde hair was already beginning to curl at the edges due to the precipitation, and more than one passerby glanced curiously at the tall, handsome-but-not-too-handsome man standing immobile on the pavement.

A car horn blared nearby, startling him into focus. He walked to the entrance of the house and rapped on the door. Three short taps, and two longer ones. After a moment, the door opened to reveal a stunning brunette wrapped in various textures of paisley. Her indifferent expression quickly turned into a playful smile as she recognized him and opened the door further.

Up three flights of stairs was an enormous room that would otherwise have been an attic but instead housed a bohemian members-only club called Lush. The large, garnet-painted room was dimly lit and smoke-filled to the point that it was difficult to see much. A jazz trio played a cover of "Potato Head Blues", and Theo nodded hello to them as he made a beeline to his usual table in the far corner.

Shrugging out of his jacket, he draped it across the back of the well-worn green velvet chair before he settled back to wait. After a moment, he fished out a packet of cigarettes and placed it on the tiny table next to a melty stump of a candle that looked like it might topple over at any moment. His foot tapped nervously against the floorboard, and he finally fished out a cigarette and inhaled deeply.

He sensed Alice's presence in the room before he laid eyes on her. Not in the sense that he was trapped in a romantic comedy and could feel an energetic pull toward his soulmate; rather, the general hum of conversation in the room paused and then increased in volume when she slipped through the fringed curtain. She wore a simple black dress, her long dark hair pulled back with a black headband. She looked effortless and lovely, but it was impossible to know if she had actually put any effort into it.

The hostess pointed towards the corner, and Alice began to walk his way. Faces turned toward her and then away as if they didn't want to be caught gawking. Theo wondered if they knew who she was or if it was just that she looked oddly familiar. Alice didn't register any of the attention as she walked to the back corner with purpose. She had a pleasantly neutral expression that he imagined must be from her stewardess days. Her hips swung in a maddening way, and he hated Penelope a little less for forcing this on him.