Their marriage negotiations were a work in progress, brought up sporadically and often abandoned when they got distracted talking about something else. Tom began every conversation with "when," and Harry began every conversation with "if." Using the modal verb made him feel better, but after a while he could admit it was a hollow protest. The contract felt more and more like a done deal, especially after all that hard work to get Henry and Beatrice on board. He’d feel rather stupid backing out now, and it’s not like being married to Tom would be the worst thing in the world.