"...and that puts my heart at ease about joining them…"
The moment Baroness Mairwen said the words, everyone froze, though reactions ranged from shock to relief and acceptance to denial.
"Er, hrm, um, hrm, my sweet," Baron Loghlan said delicately as his gentle embrace around his wife's waist turned into a brief pinch. "We have yet to make a decision, and the terms outlined in Lady Ashlynn's letter…. Some of these warrant significant discussion, like this bit about spending one part in twenty of our entire treasury just to retain the services of the Hemlock Witch as an engineer…"
