[And this is about the part where Maria sighs the most put upon sigh that ever did exist. She's going to jump to a conclusion, here, but she already feels like she knows where this is going.] I told them Drummond was still alive. If not her, escaped sympathizers or loyalists. They seemed convinced everything was going to go well from here on. I don't fault them for wanting to believe it, but they were stubborn when I told them to be prepared if she returned.

[She wrinkles her nose a little. Well, that's about as well as it's going to be. Aefenglom is barely her concern, and Dorchacht is even less so, but it's still an unpleasant feeling that something is coming and she could've been right about it.] ... I'm going back to the city. I need to wash the memories out of my mind.