"I know."
"No, you don't." She looked at him again, more open now. "I stayed away because I trusted you when you said it was dangerous. That doesn't mean it was easy. I kept thinking, if something happens to him while I'm sitting here writing about arrow coatings, I'll never forgive myself."
Trafalgar's fingers tightened slightly over his knee.
"You helped," he said.
Cynthia searched his face, unsure whether he meant it or was reaching for comfort. He firmed his voice. "I mean that. The Lower Conservatory lead mattered. Thanks to that I found a connection to the Atrium - you noticed things most people walked past without seeing."
Her expression shifted, pride and embarrassment crossing her face at once. "You could have told me that earlier."
"I'm telling you now."
"Very generous of you."
"I'm improving."
