RM 168 via Waterloo is a Routemaster of the old school: red paint, open platform, bowler hat, and a settled opinion about almost everything. He can talk, but only to people with an imagination large enough to hear him, which keeps his social circle small and his conversations interesting.
Beatrice meets him by the Caramba Café. They fall into the habit of Sundays together, and he becomes her guide to a London that other people walk straight past — the one where the buildings answer back.
He is proud, easily offended, and completely reliable when it matters. He has also promised, more than once, never to drive into a building again.
