"It's the least I can do," Alain replied, in gentle mockery of her earlier response, and reached out to pat her arm. "What you did, whyever you did it, was worth a lot. You bought us time, and you made a dent in Farson's forces that he won't forget in a hurry. That's more than we could have hoped for from that battle. This has never been a war Gilead could win."

Withdrawing his hand, he took a long drink of his tea, and closed his eyes again, his forehead furrowed a little. "As for Bert... he's angry and upset, and before too long he'll remember himself. But I think sometimes that he feels things deeper than any of us. And he took a lot on himself, and even knowing it was hopeless from the start, that's a heavy burden to bear." He gave her a little smile. "But he'll bear it. And when he remembers what Cort always said about blame, he might even learn to live with it."