Of course, Coward has a point. To bring down Abigail would be to risk making a martyr of her, to make them into something to be struggled harder against and her evidence of all their wrongdoing. He lets out a heavy sigh, resigned to this, although his expression still twitches in a slight sneer of disgust.

"Widdowsons," he repeats, as the name itself is a curse to be uttered. "What would you have me do?"

After all, that is the kind of man Norrell is. One who cannot make a decision on his own, one who must solicit opinion and wring his hands over every possibility. Coward, in contrast, is terribly assured of himself. The perfect candidate to ask for advice.