I
The ease multiplies
Nobody carries the conversation, least of all you. Two women who know each other set a table at ease faster than any icebreaker, so you arrive into an evening already in motion.
Experiences · Two of us
The Duo
She was there before me and had already ordered for all three of us. That is most of what anyone needs to know about her. By the second drink we had done the thing we always do, finishing each other’s stories badly and on purpose, and our guest had given up trying to steer. I watched him decide to enjoy that, and it took him about four minutes. Two women who genuinely like each other cannot be hired into liking each other; it is there before the evening starts or the evening is only arithmetic. There is a joke from that night that is officially ours now, and it will not be explained.
We laugh at each other's jokes. You will be outnumbered, pleasantly.
What two changes
The arithmetic of a duo
II
The dynamic is genuine
I only work with colleagues I like. Whatever you notice between us, the shorthand or the teasing or a glance across the table, none of it is staged. Staging it would be beyond either of us anyway.
III
The attention doubles, the standards do not halve
Every rule that protects one evening protects this one. The etiquette and the boundaries are identical, the discretion too, and both of us hold them.
This suits you if
The duo is for
- The guest who wants an evening that feels like being the only man at the best table in the room.
- Couples: a duo can balance a foursome beautifully; see Couples & Women for how shared evenings are held.
- Festive days, where two of us is the only sensible amount of trouble.
- Returning guests especially: knowing one of us already makes two of us effortless.
And not for
Directing a performance is not on offer here. A duo is company squared, and both women in the room chose to be there on the same terms as always. Consent, safer sex and courtesy all count double. Discretion covers my colleague exactly as it covers me: no names, no questions, no exceptions.
The practical part
Two diaries, one arrangement
A duo involves two independent companions: each at her own tariff, quoted together as one clear arrangement once dates and hours are agreed. One number, no surprises, settled in advance like everything on The Hours.
Two calendars need more notice than one; weeks are wise. Screening as always, once, for the guest. The same discretion promises apply in every direction, including hers.
One thing never appears on the bill: the shape itself. Every experience on this site is included in the hours. The only additions are real ones, agreed in advance: date expenses such as dinner and travel, a suite when I arrange one, or specific items an evening asks me to buy.
Asked and answered
Who is the colleague?
Someone I trust, enjoy and have chosen with care, whose privacy I protect as fiercely as my own. You will know what you need to know once an arrangement is underway; her discretion standards match mine, which is why she is the one I ask.
Two of you sounds wonderful and slightly terrifying.
Most guests say a version of this, usually while booking anyway. The arithmetic runs in your favour: two hostesses means the conversation is never yours to carry and the pauses are never yours to fill. The attention on you doubles while the pressure on you halves, and both of us are watching the balance. It is honestly the least demanding evening on this site.
Is a duo suitable for a first meeting?
Occasionally, for an exceptional note, but the duo rewards familiarity. Meeting me first makes the evening warmer for everyone, and gives you an opinion worth having about who should join us.
Two of us, then
Write for three, and give us a fortnight.
A date, generous hours, the city, and whether you write alone or as a couple. The rest we arrange between the three of us.
Twice the conversation. You may want notes.