[It's evident how her censure surprises him. He blinks, a scowl forming on his face as he listens.

But he refrains from answering when she is finished. This was an unexpected response, and when contronted with such it pays to question why it was so- it reveals a flaw in either logic, understanding, or argument. Where was his flaw here, he thinks.

The pause is not long. He releases a sigh to signal his imminent rebuttal.]

Is it an offence, then, to be taken for a mistress? I ask in earnest; my experience in these matters is lacking and all second-hand.