This time the answer she gave was only that, free of the hinted bitterness of before. Though Ordhan had followed and weighed her every word since his coming to the stream, now he could do so without inwardly flinching. He could see her half-turn towards him, perhaps a thing that marked this change. Ordhan, in turn, turned his head to face her as he listened, though his shoulders stayed in place.
No wonder Lillian was certain that Azabeth must be innocent. She last knew the woman as a child. It was one thing to face the possibility of a friend doing something terrible; it was another to imagine a friend only remembered as an innocent child as doing the same. Lillian must have become quite attached to the girl though these letters. Ordhan's eyes slid away as the corner of his mouth tugged downward. Lalin had given the emotional display in Azabeths' defense, earlier, but though Lillian was far more reserved in her reaction, she may be almost as invested.