"He seems to have that effect on people." Alain smiled fondly, ducking his head a little. "I've never understood quite why, but I'm coming to think it's inescapable." What he didn't say was that he was afraid it was inevitably a bad thing. Roland was an easy man to fall in love with, but a hard man to deal with, and he tended to bring disaster where he went. Alain was clear-headed enough and experienced enough to know that. And, frankly, he could sympathise with her.

He was going to say something more - perhaps reassure her that she was helping, that the fact that nobody had broken anything yet was testament to that - but before he had got the words together, Bert and Roland strode back inside, Bert a half-step behind his dinh.

"I cry your pardon," Bert said, the apology clearly smarting. "I should have held my tongue."