"Of course," Nikolai said understandingly. She would be a fool not to be careful, and she did not strike him as a foolish woman. And with things they way they were in the city, with the Sanguine breathing down their necks, there was no such thing as too careful.
Nikolai said as much. "The children are lucky to have someone as dedicated as you." He didn't say more than that. He didn't want to sound like he was trying to flatter her. "It's sad," he said. "There are too many children with no place to go. I want to do what I can to help. Everyone should."