He shrugged the shoulder she wasn't leaning over. "In your position, I would have thought the same. You don't have to excuse it. It is what it is." And what it was, in all honesty, was enough to make him profoundly grateful he didn't have any siblings. The kind of leverage she was describing, that need to protect her brother... he had enough to contend with, without that fear. The closest thing to a brother he had was Cuthbert, who could look after himself. "I'll admit, I wondered how you'd been told. If you had any say in it. That was part of why I was so concerned over it. I may not be a good man in all ways that count, but I hope the sun would burn itself out before I became a rapist."

Well, judging by the last hour or so, that wasn't something he had to concern himself over any more. The thought made him smile briefly despite himself, one hand going down to slide up the inside of her thigh.

"Alright. Another question, then." It didn't take him as long to come up with one this time. "You said one of your problems was Bert. Why?"