This season's introductions
Love stories, matched by hand
Thirty introductions from our story sessions — each one a dossier with a cover plate, the story of how it went and the matchmaker's notes on why it worked (or nearly didn't). Read the register and shortlist the pairings you believe in.
The Art of Us — Introduction No. 105
A strict conservator and a street artist, paired on a mural neither of them wanted.
A Change of Plans — Introduction No. 91
A Mediterranean cafe, a travel map, a man with glasses and two women redrawing his route.
The Last Chapter — Introduction No. 69
A rare-book room, an open antique volume, three people reading the same page for different reasons.
Suite Secrets — Introduction No. 86
A hotel lounge at night, a gold gown, a grey sweater, a navy suit, and three glances that do not agree.
Another Kind of Spark — Introduction No. 107
A fire inspector and the restaurant owner she keeps shutting down, for reasons that stop being code violations.
Belong to Her — Introduction No. 44
First day, a private jet, a contract with a clause he did not read. The agency's oldest boardroom pairing.
The Velvet Agreement — Introduction No. 75
A conservatory at blue hour, a sealed contract on the table, and a signature that took all evening.
Exchange Rate — Introduction No. 13
A hotel bar, a deal at a rate neither of them set, and favours that kept accruing interest.
A Woman in Control — Introduction No. 74
A formal gallery, a portrait, velvet chairs, and a conversation held entirely on her terms.
Back to the Valley — Introduction No. 97
A wooden fence, a sweeping green valley, and a homecoming that two people had been rehearsing for years.
The Silent Partner — Introduction No. 80
A walnut-panelled club, three partners, and the one who never speaks at meetings doing the deciding.
One More Page — Introduction No. 104
A night-shift proofreader and an author she has never met, trading notes that stopped being about grammar.
Faculty Affairs — Introduction No. 70
A chandelier-lit reception, three colleagues, and an evening the department still refers to obliquely.
One Step Behind — Introduction No. 81
A station platform, an abandoned suitcase, two men and the woman they were both a train late for.
Exchange Rate, Settled — Introduction No. 34
The later dossier: the ledger closed in one evening, neither party ahead.
Heart of the Ranch — Introduction No. 96
A porch, horses in the far pasture, a cowgirl, a dark-haired man and the woman who came to visit and stayed.
The Summer Note — Introduction No. 106
A note folded into a library book in 1998 finally reaches the person it was written for.
Where She Went — Introduction No. 83
A museum foyer, a very large painting, and two men who came looking for the same person.
The Lady of the House — Introduction No. 72
A sunlit salon, tall French windows, a woman who sets the terms and a man learning them.
Midnight Check-In — Introduction No. 88
A marble reception desk, three suitcases, city lights, and two rooms booked under one name.
Do Not Disturb — Introduction No. 90
A plush sitting room, a letter nobody expected, and a sign on the door that stays there all weekend.
Office Hours — Introduction No. 61
Three faculty members, one sealed letter, a private office at dusk. Filed under: pairings we did not arrange.
The Perfect Detour — Introduction No. 95
A vineyard restaurant at golden hour, a wrong turn, and three people in no hurry to correct it.
After Her — Introduction No. 46
He moved cities to get over her; she took the job three floors up. The agency had nothing to do with it.
After the Lecture — Introduction No. 63
An empty theatre, notebooks being gathered, and a question that was not on the slides.
The Holiday Deal — Introduction No. 92
A seaside terrace, luggage beside the chairs, and an arrangement struck before the first drink arrived.
Cheating in the Suite — Introduction No. 1
The agency's first file: a wedding weekend, room 412, and a door left unlatched from both sides.
The Soft Return — Introduction No. 103
She came home to settle her father's estate; the boy next door had never left.
Private Lessons — Introduction No. 66
A conservatory classroom, a grand piano, and a lesson that was never about scales.
Signed in Secret — Introduction No. 78
Rain on the windows, a signed folder, and three executives who will say it was only business.