"Now, now, Reveller. There's no need to be insulting." Solomon followed the shifting regard in Erskine's soul to look at Dexter himself.

"What, don't you trust me to stay a neutral party in the face of my first paycheck in a century?" Solomon was fairly sure the man pouted. "Erskine, I'm hurt. Just for that I may have to be biased. Just a little. In favour of said paycheck."

"His words," Solomon said with a shrug. "Not mine."

The look on Mr Pleasant's face enabled Melissa to keep quiet in spite of the many, many things she would have liked to say. Silently Gabe had stepped up beside Skulduggery to lay a gentle, understanding hand on his shoulder. He didn't do anything with it; simply left it there, a grounding action, in case Skulduggery needed it. And even if he didn't. If he didn't, then it could just be friendly sympathy. Everyone could use some of that.

For a moment Corrival looked almost nonplussed, looking at Desmond all startled as if he hadn't expected the man to not know at this juncture. Then he caught the dryness behind the apparent surprise, and snorted. "It just did, obviously. Are we all sorted?"

"I think so, for the moment," Melissa said. "Des?"