#Chapter 22: Unasked Questions

We went back to our dining room together. My half-eaten meal had been cleared from the table and replaced with a fresh spread of food. If Nolan wanted to talk, he wasn’t in a hurry. Or he wanted to be sure all the servants, now rushing around to pour us steaming cups of coffee and fill our plates with offerings, were out of the room before he reprimanded me. Finally we were alone in the room and he said, “That was impressive back there.” I relaxed immediately. “Really? You think I did the right thing?” He took a big drink of his coffee, put the cup down then turned his body toward me. I put the forkful of pancake that I’d been about to eat back down on the plate. He took my hand in his and gave me a little smile. “Really. It was brave and took a lot of character, and confidence.” “I didn’t embarrass you?” I had an edge in my voice, like the question was sarcastic. But I realized I was actually starting to feel a little embarrassed about the outburst and hopi