For honor, yes. For Barrayar. His mouth twists, and he looks away from her and her tears. And he shrugs. What excuse can he offer? What reason can he give? Under any circumstances but these, he would give her a breezy little lie. Something easy, something careless. Something to wiggle away. But he can't now. He needs - some degree of honesty. Something...

"I am...not accustomed to people...craving my presence," he starts, then falters. Shakes his head. No. That's not the way of it. Self-pity isn't the way of it. It can't be. Not when she's crying. "That was not a deliberate attempt to hurt you." His tongue is thick and clumsy. He wants to vomit. A little desperately, and awkward in its truthfulness - "I never thought you were going to - to like me."