Tristan nodded quietly, pressed his lips together, moved his hand over his beard, then leaned over a little, rested his elbows on his legs and sighed. He looked at her imploringly. "Pippa, though it is no excuse, I want you to understand why I got so angry earlier today. I have always stood out because of the colour of my skin. For most of my school days, I was the only black boy in my school. When a group of us sneaked out one night to explore the city, I was the only one who was recognized and would have been the only one punished, had two other boys not been man enough to own up and stand with me.

"I've been privileged with a good education and have managed to set up a comfortable life and hopefully soon a name in this town. But I will always attract more attention, and even hostility in some circles. And gossip..." He shook his head and sighed. "A well-known poet and playwright was dragged through the mud and sentenced to prison and hard labour recently because of such accusations. If a story like that were to be spread about me, the truth wouldn't matter anymore. Gossip is like wildfire, it would always spread further before I could deal with it. A mere piece of gossip like that could be sufficient to ruin my reputation, Pippa, and thereby my business and everything I have worked for. Do you understand?"