Her would-be lover’s betrayal had hurt—but not nearly so much as the thought that she’d driven away a friend who truly loved her with that broken promise. Talia’s words had been ugly, but not unearned—and Elspeth had returned her own share of harsh and ugly words.

If truth were to be told, though Elspeth was even more ashamed when she thought about it, the name-calling had begun with her. She wanted desperately, now that she’d read the note, to make her own apologies and explanations, and to regain the closeness they’d had before Talia’s stint in the field. Her remorse was very real, and she had the urge to talk about it incessantly.

She found a sympathetic ear in Dirk, who never seemed to find her own repetitive litany boring.

She gradually managed to purge some of her guilt just by pouring her unhappiness into his ears, and slowly it became less obsessive.

But it was still very much with her.

“Daydreaming, young milady?”

The smooth, cultivated voice startled Elspeth out of deep thought.

“Not daydreaming,” she corrected Lord Orthallen, just a shade stiffly. “Thinking.”

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow, but she wasn’t about to enlighten him.

He nudged his chestnut palfrey a little closer; Gwena responded to her unspoken twinge of revulsion and moved away.

“I must admit to being caught up in a great deal of thought, myself,” he said, as if unwilling to let her escape from him. “Thought—and worry—”

Damn him! she thought. He is so smooth-he makes me want to trust him so much! lf Alberich hadn’t said what he did to me—

:I’d trust Alberich with my life,: Gwena said unexpectedly in her mind. :I wouldn’t trust that snake with my hoof-parings!:

:Hush, loveling,: she replied the same way, amusement at her Companion’s vehemence restoring her good humor. He won’t catch me again.:

“Worry about what, my Lord?” she asked ingenuously.

“My nephew,” he replied surprising the boots off her with his expression and the tinge of real concern in his voice. “I wish that Selenay had consulted me before sending him on this mission. He’s so young.”

“He’s quite experienced.”

“But not in diplomacy. And not alone.”

:Bright Havens, loveling, could almost believe he really is anxious!:

:He is.: Gwena sounded just as surprised. :And somehow —somehow that frightens me. What does he know that we don’t?:

“It’s a simple mission to an ally,” she said aloud. “What could possibly go wrong?”

“Nothing, of course. It’s just an old man’s foolish fancies.” He laughed, but it sounded forced. “No, never mind. I actually came back here to see if you were pining over one of those young men you’ve left back at Court.”