"I do not intend to treat you badly, however..." He thought how to place his words correctly, to keep from insulting her. "You were ready to break into tears at the thought of sharing your first kiss with me, and you'll be expected to do so much more than that in public. I was imagining you would resent this internally. I figured the least I could do was make your life behind closed doors better Ellan- Ella." He had to correct himself in speaking her name, considering her preference. She was right, he decided, Ellanor didn't fit one so young.

Her next words caught him completely off guard, there being no context to justify them in the least. "A mistress? Where did I give you the impression that I intended to take one? Wait..." He smiled widely, looking at Ella with a different look in his eyes. "Would you be jealous if I had another woman to share my bed with? Despite the fact you're obviously so against it?" So, she did want to look at this as a relationship then. Perhaps he would be cheating in her eyes if he took up a mistress, not that he intended to. Still, it would be fun to tease her with that. He poured her a second glass of wine, holding it out to her. "Come, drink, relax. It'll be good for your nerves."