She was caught between a rock and a hard place. It was hard to say no -- to object, and to protest -- because so much of her was bent towards obedience. But what Ling or Greed or Whover asked of her was no small feat: he asked her to betray propriety and step out with a man who amounted to not much more than a stranger. One who had, in the past, set of trumpets of warning in his behaviour towards her. The conflict was evident upon her face.

She tried one last time: "It isn't enough to leave a note. I must ask him, your grace. He is the Lord of my house."

He is my king.