The gentleman seemed ready to let the matter fall, and Alistair would have been grateful had the lady been just as keen. Rather, she pressed onward, and he took an unconscious step backward as though shrinking back from her prying, narrowly missing a step upon the foot of another patron of the evening's entertainment.
Alistair himself was fairly certain he had not set eyes upon the woman before; after all, most of his contact with the world at large came from those who stepped into his shop, and most of the well-bred Londoners who sought out his services would never deign take the errand upon themselves. Rather, they more often than not sent a servant to do their bidding.
All except for that dreadful Lady Asher, it would seem.
With a polite - if slightly strained - smile, Alistair shook his head. "I don't believe so, madam. I should remember if we had."