.. dismal tone to the whole thing, right?" Sorry. You're right, you're not going to like this one." Just go on, then, and ask whatever it is that's go...ing to make me pull out my hair and gnash my teeth." I..." I hesitated. Alistair took my other hand in silent support, and I sent him a small smile of thanks. "Do you have any idea where Nathaniel Howe is, in the Free Marches?"I'd never seen Aedan's expression change so fast. From bemused and puzzled, to spiteful and murderous in two words. Well. We aregoing to pull ourselves together, fix our faces, fluff up our hair,then go out and make nice with our dates. We are going to enjoy ourdinner, laugh at their jokes, flirt with them, then let human natureand hormones do the rest."Tomorrow, we are going to pack your things, move you upstairs, get yousettled into your new life as an Executive Vice-President ? and I amgonna be right by your side, just as I have been every business day forthe last two years. I know how hard you have fought for. I didn't know it then but I realise now that I had depression. It'slogical now isn't it? My manhood was being stripped away from me.That night I rowed with Liberty about something trivial, I have no ideawhat it was now, and she went up to bed. I fell asleep on the sofawatching some stupid reality tv programme which consisted of vacuous minorcelebrities sitting around talking about something which you couldn't evenhear because the programme maker in his or her wisdom had decided to drownout. I am sure while I was at school, they were together, but it wasn’t until the summer, and at the cottage that Maude joined us.It is funny, on the brink of puberty myself, it didn’t even enter my mind really when she arrived and began to share my aunt’s bedroom. Only as years went by did I fully comprehend what was going on. And by then it seemed the natural and correct order of things.When fall came, Maude came home with us, and from then on it was the two of them attending school events and.