She always paid attention to fingers rather than faces because they told so much more. People remembered to guard their faces. They forgot their hands. Her own were small, though strong and supple from all the hours of piano playing, but what use was that now? For the first time she understood what real danger does to the human mind, as flat white fear froze the coils of her brain.

I'd rather have your lifeblood tainted than spilled on a forest floor.'He said no more, just held her. 'I'm not worth it,' she whispered at last.'Who says so?''I do.''Then you don't know what love is.