“Yes,” he says agreeably, as though he already knows what she's telling him—and in a way he does, having heard Italy in her accent upon first meeting her and having deduced the location of the manor from the video. Mycroft realizes his mistake just as the word leaves his mouth, but in the end, he decides to let it be, unadulterated by any makeshift addendum he might have procured. Ilde can draw her own conclusions.

The pause after this single syllable is a touch awkward, but it segues into something comfortable for both of them: Italian. Among the earlier languages Mycroft learned, Italian slips on for him like an old glove; he even raises his voice up from a whisper to a murmur because the sound of it is too good to waste, even if only he can hear it.

“It's a beautiful country. I've been there a number of times, myself.”