Eric thought that Cesare very often was, on the contrary - something that seemed to work very well for him. But he wasn't going to tell Lucrezia anything about her family. And he wasn't going to tell her to suck it up and do something about it, not in so many words. She might still be of use.

"And that rankles," he stated, and then smiled slightly, sardonically. "But you do what is asked of you."