I bowed and smirked.

“You'll turn my head.”

“Hardly,” she said, “all things considered.”

And I felt uncomfortable.

My anger was there, and I wondered whether she knew who it was that I needed to stay it. I felt that she did. I fought with the desire to ask it outright, suppressed it.

“Well, what do you propose doing?” she finally asked, and being on the spot I replied, “Of course, you don't trust me...”

“How could we?”

I determined to remember that we.

“Well, then. For the time being. I'm willing to place myself under your surveillance. I'll be glad to stay right here, where you can keep an eye on me.”

“And afterward?”

“Afterward? We'll see.”

“Clever,” she said, “very clever. And you place me in an awkward position.” (I had said it because I didn't have any place else to go. and my blackmail money wouldn't last me too long.) “Yes, of course you may stay. But let me warn you"-and here she fingered what I had thought to be some sort of pendant on a chain about her neek-"this is an ultrasonic dog whistle. Donner and Blitzen here have four brothers, and they're all trained to take care of nasty people and they all respond to my whistle. So don't start to walk toward any place where you won't be desired. A toot or two and even you will go down before them. Their kind is the reason there are no wolves left in Ireland. you know.”

“I know,” I said, realizing that I did.

“Yes.” she continued, “Eric will like it that you are my guest. It should cause him to leave you alone, which is what you want, n'est-ce-pas?”

“Oui.” I said.

Eric! It meant something! I had known an Eric, and it had been very important, somehow. that I did. Not recently. But the Eric I had known was still around, and that was important.

Why?

I hated him, that was one reason. Hated him enough to have contemplated killing him. Perhaps I'd even tried.