None of this is Claire's fault. It's the part that has made him heartsick, since his time in the mountains with Thancred: what Jon has begun to suspect will devastate his wife, the last person he would want to hurt.

So when he returns, he is closed off, eyes hooded, expression bleak. But her little joke makes him smile -- a sad, sickly smile.

"Don't go mad on my account," he begins. Then, helpless, "I shouldn't have gone to Hayle. Come here."

The urge to hold her when he sees her isn't gone.