Glokta felt his face twisting. Something like a smile, perhaps. But not much joy in it. 'I've spent most of my life disappointed. But not in you. It's a hard world. No one gets what they deserve.' How long must we drag this out before we find the courage? It will not get any easier to do it. It must be now.

'Ardee…' his voice sounded rough in his own ears. He took another limping step, his palm sweaty on the handle of his cane. She looked up at him, wet eyes gleaming, one hand on her stomach. She moved as if to take a step back. A trace of fear, perhaps? And who can blame her? Can it be that she guesses at what is coming?

'You know that I have always had a great liking and respect for your brother.' His mouth was dry, his tongue slurped awkwardly against his empty gums. Now is the time. 'Over the past months I have developed a great liking and respect for you.' A flurry of twitches ran up the side of his face and made a tear leak from his flickering eye. Now, now. 'Or… as close to such feelings as a man like myself can come, at least.' Glokta slid his hand into his pocket, carefully, so she would not notice. He felt the cold metal, the hard, merciless edges brushing against his skin. It must be now. His heart was pounding, his throat so tight that he could barely speak. 'This is difficult. I am… sorry.'

'For what?' she said, frowning at him.

Now.

He lurched towards her, snatching his hand from his pocket. She stumbled back against the table, eyes wide… and they both froze.

The ring glittered between them. A colossal, flashing diamond so large it made the thick golden band look flimsy. So large it looks a joke. A fake. An absurd impossibility. The biggest stone that Valint and Balk had to offer.

'I have to ask you to marry me,' he croaked. The hand that held the ring was trembling like a dry leaf. Put a cleaver in it and it's steady as a rock, but ask me to hold a ring and I nearly wet myself. Courage, Sand, courage.

She stared down at the glittering stone, her mouth hanging stupidly open. With shock? With horror? Marry this… thing? I would rather die! 'Uh…' she muttered. 'I…'

'I know! I know, I'm as disgusted as you are, but… let me speak. Please.' He stared down at the floor, his mouth twisting as he said the words. 'I am not stupid enough to pretend that you might ever come to love… a man like me, or think of me with anything warmer than pity. This is a question of necessity. You should not flinch from it because… of what I am. They know you are carrying the king's child.'

'They?' she muttered.