mahler perhaps was not surprised when laurel seemed reluctant to answer. the one she gave, however, was surprising; she seemed someone who avoided many types of conflict, even those imagined. and so, having seen for a split second the terror that she carried, he saw this as a good thing, that the woman did not feel obligated to accompany him.
wylla's voice rising with that again — mahler bid her good day with an answering rueful bow to his own mouth and soon left her alone, tracing his own pathway through the conifer woodland that bordered the lake.
there, alone, he brought the face most beloved in his heart to mind, and felt sorrow tint him again.