“Ariston sent a potion, if she needs it.” Aethra set the tray down on the table by the hearth, glancing at the bed. Helen hadn’t so much as stirred. “I trust you took care to treat her kindly.” “I’m not a brute, Mother, and if I were, I’d hardly have waited this long to maul her.” Aethra sniffed, her gaze raking over him. “Perhaps you aren’t a brute, but there’s certainly a lot of you for that poor girl to take on, even if she wasn’t a maiden.” “After everything I’ve done to protect her, do you really think I’d let her suffer at my own hands?” Theseus kept his voice low in spite of his irritation. “She’s well loved, and I mean to keep her so for as long as she desires it.” “Your son is anxious to prove himself ever more competent now that he’s returned, and he’ll feel cheated if you do not allow him at least a sevenday to manage on his own,” Aethra replied.
