She seemed startled for a moment, as though not expecting Damen to approach or acknowledge her. But her expression shifted soon enough into one Damen was more accustomed to, a smile gracing her lips.

'Yes, very good,' he replied, nodding down to the books tucked under his arms, both of them a history of Spain, a topic that, as with many things here, Damen new very little. 'I've found some books I think Laurent might like. He wants to learn another language - Spanish or Chinese. Are you familiar with either?'