Arrival of Leon and Paul Marshall

Leon Tallis arrives home with his friend, Paul Marshall, a wealthy chocolate manufacturer. Cecilia greets them in the hallway, feeling a strange sense of premonition. Paul Marshall is presented as a confident, somewhat vulgar man who talks at length about his business, particularly his new product, the Army Amo bar. He is also revealed to be a potential suitor for Cecilia, though she finds him stupid and unattractive. The arrival of these two men shifts the social dynamics of the household. Leon's easygoing nature contrasts with the tension between Cecilia and Robbie, while Paul Marshall's presence introduces an element of predatory wealth and charm that will later be crucial to the assault on Lola.