i caught up with her , and again , as if we were an old married couple , her hand found my arm and took it . i moved across to stand behind him , a hand laid lightly on his shoulder . but there was another kind of fear that only men felt . it would be easier to ignore if it did n't make elle visibly anxious . was it like this when your other visitor came here ? her smile cut some of the sting out of it . what did she have to lose except for a few hours ? 