Claudius nods. "It's the tactic I would take. If I were her, I'd press now, when I'm most vulnerable, but she may not be aware of that particular vulnerability -- I haven't even told Sagramore yet." And he may never. Annoyed, he realizes, "I should. It will be far less exploitable if I do. There's a certain frustrated loneliness in keeping things quiet, and it makes me more likely to cling to signs I'm not alone with this particular pain. But I think whatever her next move is, she'll want some cover, she'll want some measure of deniability. She'll line everything up first, like lining up a shot in billiards. Then she'll strike."