Her Airbnb was on a quiet mews behind a row of brick houses. The owner, an elderly woman named Mrs. Aldridge, greeted her with a cup of tea and a small talk of practicalities: the kettle, the nearest bus stop, and the curious habit of the building’s resident cat to nap in shoes. “London is a city that asks you to move inside it slowly,” Mrs. Aldridge said as if confessing a secret. “Walk, and it will show you things.”