Her shoulders tighten perceptibly when a hand settles on them. When she glances back, it's someone she recognizes only vaguely. An outsider, like her, but one of the new ones. She'd know that much even if they weren't all crammed in a single tent; he's much fairer than the Barrayarans.

Beth shrugs the hand off, kind though the gesture appears. A stranger's comfort isn't much comfort at all; it isn't trustworthy, just something that makes her lonely for people she loves. The look she gives the man is quietly searching, too guarded to be angry.