He shrugged, giving her a little smile, and walked on in uncharacteristic quiet for several moments more, hands deep in his pockets, before saying in a low voice, "...It really hurt you, didn't it? What I said to you last night."

It sounded disingenuous - was disingenuous - but he hadn't thought it would have hurt her so deeply. It wasn't the first time he'd misjudged, but he had a tendency to forget just how sharp his tongue could cut. Besides, he'd grown used to Jamie, Alain, and Roland - people whose emotions he could read as easily as his own, sometimes easier. She was different. And although he'd be lying if he'd said he hadn't meant to hurt her, in the harsh light of day he felt like an absolute ass.