He would never have made much of an actor; his smile was brittle and his eyes tragic as he lied. She considered, for a moment, allowing him his lie in the end. His well-being was hardly her responsibility, and she had to assume Wil would be able to do more than she ever could, but...
The night before had been... well, in the end, she had known Aspel could kill. It was hardly difficult to have it confirmed, and that woman had shot at them. She did not regret what had happened, or her part in it. But it was disquieting in its way, and Merri one of the most sensitive people she had met.
"Come here." She wrapped her arms around his waist to embrace him, placed her head companionably on his shoulder. "Call me mad, but it seems you need this almost as much as the champagne." For that matter, she needed champagne herself. One more day, she reminded herself. One more.