Alice's lips quirk at that; he is absolutely correct, and she's glad for it. She doesn't enjoy the company of people who can be easily lied to- it's easy, but it's not fun.

"And what good would a list be if I weren't able to add to it?" she inquires evenly, a fingertip running along the spines of the books in front of her. "There's efficiency, and then there's rigidity. I consider myself adaptable." She plucks a book from the shelf- one which strikes her as genuinely interesting if slightly mis-shelved, criminology rather than sensationalist crime reporting. Crime in Baedal must have its own flavour, and she must familiarise herself with it. As if to emphasise her point she holds it up with a bright smile so he can see, before adding it to the stack she's carrying.

Unless he's putting on an accent, he's not Lucian Burgess- for which Alice is rather glad. Burgess seemed so dull.