“I’m pleased you’re here,” Ophelia declared, with such spontaneity that Archibald raised his eyebrows. “But . . . the ceremony of the Gift? Will you be able to do it?” Archibald’s smile broadened and, conversely, his eyes seemed even blanker. He replied to himself: ‘My link with the Web is severed, but that doesn’t mean I’ve lost my family power; you and Thorn will soon be united by more interesting bonds than those of marriage.’
