As usual, he didn’t point out that it was my house and I could do as I pleased. It was like when we went shopping for his new living room suite and after we chose one, the clerk handed me the paperwork, presuming we were a couple. Which we had been, in our way, long before tonight.

“A conservatory would be a better use of the space,” he said.

“We could—” I bit off the words. “And I should stop there, or it’ll make it that much harder to say no to the Tylwyth Teg.”

“I’ve been compiling a list of alternatives.”

“Ways to keep the house if I turn down the Tylwyth Teg? That won’t work. For them, it’d be like having your future executioner living down the street.”

“I don’t believe it would be quite so dramatic, but I meant a list of alternative houses, in Chicago and the surrounding area. The same basic style, with the elements you like. I have three possibilities so far.”

“Let’s just hope they’re still on the market when I make my decision.”

“They aren’t on the market. In one case, the current homeowner is elderly and finding upkeep difficult. In another, a young couple took on too heavy a mortgage and are struggling with payments. The third has recently suffered a serious financial blow. With a generous offer, any of the three would likely sell.”

Because all three were in a position where, even though they might not want to move, a good offer would be too tempting to refuse. One might say that was predatory. To Gabriel, it was simple practicality. He’d done his research and found me these alternatives. It was another gift. If he proposed cheating these people out of their homes, I would argue. But he wouldn’t. He’d suggest a fair—if cold—bargain that would push the homeowners to a choice they’d have to make eventually.

So I said, sincerely, “Thank you. That helps. But I do need to make that choice soon. The problem is that I don’t even know how to begin.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

I shifted under his arm. “I keep thinking that, and then I feel like a two-year-old stomping her feet and shouting that it isn’t fair. Why me? Why Matilda? What did she do to deserve this?”

“Gwynn caused the problem, and Matilda is forced to resolve it.”

“I don’t mean—”

“The schism began when he made the pact with Arawn and then broke it, only to worsen matters by not confessing to either wronged party.”

“They all shoulder their share of the blame.”

“But not equal shares. By far the smallest portion goes to Matilda, whose only fault seems to lie in the fact she chose a lover. Which is her right.”