In parting, I was not the least bit fair to her. I can still feel the pain that I caused her, and it gives me great pain as well. I now understand bet...er why I made the choices that I did. I will never know whether there could have been a different way. I do know that after years of effort, the results are as I had hoped. Could I have done things differently? Perhaps. And maybe I would also somehow have emerged intact on the other side of the nightmare that I faced – different from today, but. "Oh! Is that some sort of a bed and breakfast," Alice remarked, trying not to feel put off."Don't know about no breakfast," he smirked, "but they shore must have some good beds over there. Most of the wimen are startin' to get big bellies 'time they leaves." The man gave her another look that made Alice uncomfortable, as if he was sizing her up for some purpose. "You looks pretty hot, ma'am. Can I gitcha somethin' to drank?"Alice ignored the no doubt unintentional double entedre and smiled at. “No, it won’t. But, it will uncover the whitewashing of certain activities of certain clans in the past that were only rumours and have been strenuously denied.”“Can you protect her?”“Oh yes. She’ll be in more danger on Vultoq than she is here in Jingol. Only a minority of rogue Dökkálfar are a threat to her here and we know who they are. Ordinary Fae will not get a chance to get close.”“I take it Queen Verenestra is in favour of these histories?”“Very much so, even if they do not show House. Connors had emerged from the kitchen with her. He wore an apron but, in deference to my already shocked system, it had no frills and he was wearing the typical pants and shirt of the male of the species. I suppose I should call him Pat, as he had requested on the last trip home, but he had been Mr. Connors for most of my life and it was hard to change. He and mom were, in the local parlance, an "item". So the dance went one more time round the circle as he was introduced and at last. I tried to.