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“Is that why your ar?”

A at hiht Even minor pain could alter a ether, Morry knew him as well as he knew himself

“It is of no matter,” Amberhill replied

A suspicious gleaent, as paternal as he ht be, was still a servant, and Aht to assert itself over the other The servant won this time, at least for the moment, and Morry did not pursue the matter

“I was afraid you’d gone and done so rash,” Morry said

“You know I’m more careful than that I won’t do the job until the conditions are perfect”

Morry shook his head “I’m not sure the conditions ever will be It’s not a proper sort of—”

“Nothing the Raven Mask does is proper,” Arieved he must always defend his decisions He strode over to a table that held a bottle of brandy He splashed soulp, then poured some more

“Sos are less proper than others,” Morry said, undeterred “Especially when they are traitorous”

“Such things were coo, and were considered an honorable way for one noble to express disagreement with another, or to show himself as a rival for an intended wife and to benefit from a token ransom as solace”

“I doubt the women involved ever saw it as ‘honorable,’” Morry said “In any case, King So because it created disunity a the clans In some cases it was an excuse for them to commit war upon each other”

“You knoell as I do that honor abductions still go on in re’s law holds less sway Coutre, for instance And to , there is still a place for soht already, and Morry’s interrogation was not soothing A, it added to it “Did you always question randfather’s decisions this way?” he demanded