Gwilym could tell that the situation was making Torben nervous, so he addressed him directly. ‘Believe me, this is a big mistake. Believe me, I’m no thief! I’ve certainly engaged in some activities that were decidedly shifty in past, but never thievery. Björn and I just need to talk things out and, doubtless, we’ll come to an amicable agreement.’
‘I wouldn’t count on that.’ Eleusia’s dark, neatly shaped eyebrows arched in surprise and then her face settled back into its typically stern expression. ‘Björn is going to make sure that he gets only honest answers from you. We all know how good you are at worming your way out of trouble with that silver tongue of yours … how good you are at convincing others to go along with you. Is that how you ended up with your manservant here?’ She inclined
