[And there it is—the reaction she truthfully expected to to receive from him the moment she realized just who it is she bumped into here. Cold civility and suspicion, a combination that raises the tension to a degree that is only just bearable. And he has every right to be leveling it her way.

For her part, Dorothea does not flinch away from his gaze, though it is clear in her eyes and in her down-turned lips that she is taking no pleasure from this.]

Of course. It’s not our intent to be needlessly cruel. [To do so would go against the very ideal they hoped to strive for.] Though that is a cold comfort for those pulled into conflict, I know all too well.

[She forces herself to take a steadying breath.]

I hate that it came to this, Claude, I truly do. But I could not allow myself to sit idly by while those I hold dear put themselves on the line for this.

[Words mean little more than nothing here, she knows. That doesn’t stop her from feeling compelled to to make that much clear.]