"I don't expect it," Marcello replied. "I'd just much rather nip this whole thing in the bud. Do you think people will actually believe Duncan, if he tries to accuse Niabheara of sleeping with his wife? I think given that he kidnapped Acorn, we can probably make a good argument that he's just trying to cover for his own crimes."

She nodded, eyes solemn. "I think even the people who don't believe it will still believe it, if you get my meaning."

"You mean we have to make sure he never says it," Marcello answered, nodding. He sighed. "I was afraid of that."

"This is going to have to be played pretty close, I fear," she said with sympathy. "I don't know if it will come to. You know. Silencing him, silencing him."

Marcello grimaced. "I hope not. I feel like enough people have died. I don't want to go back to war."

"No one will fight for him, if you have to," she said, a little sadly. "His cousins, maybe. No one from his family."

"That's incredibly sad," said Marcello. "Even if you don't get on well with your fsmily, you'd think they'd take care of you. Then again, he's the one trying to stage a coup against them."

She raised an eyebrow. "Maybe if they'd ever given him any reason not to stage a coup on him, he wouldn't be doing it now. I told you. These people are poison."

"Well, he also kidnapped my niece and blackmailed my wife, and we've been nothing but kind to him, so I doubt it's entirely because they're awful people. Unless you're going to say something about him being a product of his upbringing or something like that."

"Of course I am," she said. "That is kind of how I roll. That's not the same as saying he's not responsible."