[Nurumaiel]

Posco had said nothing but, "Oh," when Lily had told him about Tommy Banks, and he had smiled at her in an encouraging manner to show that it did not affect him very much, and then he had fallen silent. This silence was one that Lily did not endeavour to break. She sat there, at the table, watching him, and gazing down at the wood, and looking out the window, and some time had gone by. Eventually Posco had spoken again, and a friendly, common-place conversation began, which led to other conversations, which in turn led to other conversations, and time slipped by easily.

And now it was late afternoon, and the two stood by the window, looking ruefully out at the raining weather. "I'm afraid I rambled on too long, Lily," said Posco, "and now our ride is spoiled. We should have gone earlier."

"Oh, don't be concerning yourself about it," she said, her voice cheerful though her face did betray her disappointment at the inability to spend another afternoon riding with Posco. "Imagine if we had left before the rain began: we would not be hear, warm and dry. Granted, we're disappointed about the ride, but we should be warm and dry, rather than caught in a storm."

"Maybe," said Posco, and while his tone giving the impression that he was speaking to himself, the glances he gave her out of the corner of his eye made it clear that he was addressing the girl at his side. "In fact, absolutely correct. Maybe it will keep storming tomorrow, so you'll be unable to go home. You do mean to go home tomorrow?"

"I think so," she said, softly.

"If you do leave tomorrow, Lily, so will I, and I will return to my own home, though - " and here his eyes glinted fiercely " - if this Tommy Banks poses a real threat to your affections for me, and mine for you, I'll ride all the way to Bree and thrash him."

She could not help but laugh at this. The idea of the shy, timid Posco thrashing Tommy Banks was one very amusing. But aside from the laughable image of himself he presented, he also presented the fact that he did love her, and this fact was, in a sense, reinforced by his next words. Turning to her in the shy, blushing, determined manner he always adopted when he was about to make a request of her, he said: "Miss Lily, I hope you'll allow me to help you saddle your pony, and help you prepare to leave in any manner that would be of use, and then let me ride alongside you for a time to make sure you are safely on your way."