"Don't be foolish," he chastised gently, surprise in his tone and in the eyes that found hers again at last. With only a moment of awkwardness, he rearranged himself so that he stood before her now, each of his hands clasping one of her own and his cane fallen to the ground, for she was all he needed.

"I would know that the fates had conspired to give me a great deal more than I deserve," he insisted earnestly, "if I could find a bride with half your poise, half your beauty, half your intellect, and half your passion. You are a creature that inspires envy in the moon, in the sun, and scarcely can I believe that you would even glance upon the likes of me!"

How errant could her husband, her friends, be, if she needed Aldous to sing her praises?! He would, the wizard decided, challenge each of them in turn to a duel, to teach them the error of their ways.