[ his lips twitch. almost as if he's daring to smile but not quite. and in the brief moment of that almost-smile, his facial scar stops giving him such a cruel and sardonic look. ]

It's the way of her kind, Pepper. [ her kind. sharpe is quick to exclude himself, though hardly on the grounds of being progressive. ] To hire a man for the job would be...awkward, at best. Uncomfortable. Improper. For some women? Downright frightening. A woman like her's been brought up expecting a chaperone. It's a wonder she allows me to drink tea with her, just the two of us. You...understand?