"And no wonder!" said Belloc. "Tell me, does he encourage you with your studies as well?"
She fairly beamed at the wizard. "He helps me with everything. I only wish . . ." She faltered, looking uncomfortable, her gaze falling.
Belloc sat beside her, smiling kindly. "Yes, child? What troubles you? Perhaps I can help."
She made an absent mark on her pad, then set it down, reluctant to speak. "Well . . . it's just that Anest didn't choose to be with me. I don't like to think that he's just being nice to me because he feels guilty about what happened."
Belloc nodded thoughtfully, as he well knew that if Anest wished to be tactful in the manner that Lily described, he was capable of doing so. But he knew Anest well enough to know that he was not one for pretence. "Anest is not just being kind," he said. "He does love you, you know. I know him well, and I know this: worrying about it boots nothing. You are in this together, more or less equally. And you are both happy, and more importantly, happy with each other."
She seemed to accept this, though her nod told the wizard that her angst was not wholly resolved. But he knew when to leave well enough alone.