It had gotten to the point that merely appearing in public with Paine at his side was no longer enough. It wasn’t enough that worked with him, or that she fought beside him. Her word was not enough, even as his had since lost its edge. His followers, and sometimes his enemies, were too jaded for the honest truth, and her demand for privacy made them suspicious beyond what Baralai would have believed possible.

His advisors were worse. Still, the look on Paine’s face was priceless when they shared their opinion that she should bear a child for his career.