Her smile was ill-placed for he did not d e s e r v e it – had he said something amusing? Or that he spoke at all was h u m o u r o u s? He tries not to squirm at the thought. Honesty was a fickle thing. People wished for it often enough; yet when f a c e d with it, they were dissatisfied. Curious.

“ If only society shared your opinion, madam. My reserve is displeasing, and as such I am unable to express myself in such a way that could be different without it seeming ‘surprising’. ”