This warrants a long look, and a certain skeptical downward tilt of the chin.

"Please, Mister Ellis. I think you and I both know that whatever this is I'm not at liberty to discuss was, I would have found some way of seeing it accomplished even if you hadn't lent him to me."

Which is also true; she'd promised to see it accomplished long before Ellis had willed Ruadh into her company.

"In this case, I'm merely expressing a very general sense of gratitude for his presence. I'm certain Ruadh kept me quite safe in all sorts of circumstances. This means you have a difficult act to follow," she adds, this last bit for the muddy little dog who has rolled back upright on the hearthstone.

"You need not be concerned, Mister Ellis. Clearly I'm perfectly fit and so is Ruadh. All is well, unless you or I were to catch cold today."