"It's the sort of thing one would like to believe in, isn't it?" she reflected in response to his statement. "If only because it would be nice to think that someone knew the answers — but with how changeable life can be, I'm not sure that's so."

And while there was, perhaps, some comfort in the idea that someone knew how things would work out, in those rare moments of panic, there was also a danger in it. That terrible ordeal with Mr. Dawlish, for instance; it would have been comforting for some diviner to tell her it would all work out alright in the end, and that she would be happily married to Mr. Devine. If they had told her how it would happen, though — if anyone had seen that moment of sheer panic in her dressing room — that would be... problematic, to say the least.

"Oh, you've done something clever here, haven't you?" she said, taking stock of the last play Mr. Echelon-Arnost had made. "But I shall not be easily beaten. Take that," she said, playing a card with a triumphant air and drawing to refill her hand.