Byerly kicks his horse into a walk. He pointedly does not look at Prudence's face. While many of his countrymen - and countrywomen - are broadly, wildly emotional, others (especially in the North) feel that open displays of grief are shameful. He doesn't yet have the measure of Prudence, but he certainly doesn't want to risk causing her discomfort if she's of the latter sort.

Instead, he simply says, "If you have questions, I can answer them. Or we can ride in silence. As you prefer."