Villiam missed Clod. That he knew. And perhaps this was why Marek began to have even more appeal to him: Marek’s capacity was limited to servile flattery. The boy’s sense of self-worth was far worse than Villiam’s could ever become. So the lord used the boy as a kind of prop, a measuring stick. In Marek’s company, the lord felt more lordly. They began to spend more time together.
