Havelock listens in silence, feeling suddenly cold.

It's not that he had supposed the man innocent of deliberate wrongdoing - he has kidnapped Matthieu, for the love of Elua - but to go on even once warned off, to make light of the need for a signale in such a way...

Such a way as to preempt Matthieu from using it.

Perhaps that was another reason why he did not go to Valerian. One trained there fully would not have been so easily manipulated.

"No doubt," he says.

"Your impressions are accurate."