He did not miss the fact that she avoided his question. He searched her eyes curiously, feelings of uncertainty and doubt teased his heartstrings. Should he press the matter a bit harder or leave things where they were? Vague? Uncertain? Did she dodge the question because she was trying to do the polite thing and spare his feelings , was she not sure of what to say or was she afraid? Or, as he felt, perhaps it might be a combination of the last two.
He pushed that string of confusing and maddening thoughts aside and chose to act as though he hadn't noticed her blatant verbal dodging.If she didn't wish to speak of it, he would be a gentleman and respect her privacy but maybe she wanted him to be nosy? Women, his mother had always loved to remind him, were complicated and emotional beings.
"And Kella suffers from the same thing. Perhaps it might be a curse, "Conall said softly, "but I've always been told that curses only have as much power as you choose to give them. " He shook his head, "My uncle said that once." He smiled slightly and shook his head, "I meant that in a spiritual sense, of course." He shrugged, "Some people are born with hardships in their lives. Some suffer a little, others endure a lifetime of challenges. Some like to say that it's Ansgar's way of testing our faith and that wicked are those that fall to their test and fall prey to hardship," he shook his head," but I don't think it works that way."
He went quiet for a few moments again and then inquired, "Do you think I'm a man of my word?"