"I promise," she added quickly. "I will remain inside Whitehall. I will not wander. How would anyone get to me here?"
"This is not only about the Italians. I need Lionel to protect you from my mother too. If I am not here," Henry said, "she will test every boundary I leave behind. Geoffrey will hold authority in my absence, but my mother bends rules in ways that astounds me. That is why Lionel stays."
She looked at Henry. "You must take care of yourself."
"You pretend not to care about me," he said, "and yet you care."
"I…" She looked away, then forced herself back to him. "I do not pretend not to care about you. I just… I'm trying to get used to this new life."
"Yes," Henry said, "it does take some getting used to."
Livia looked at him across the table, still feeling the weight of everything that had happened within the space of one meal.
