"I didn't - " he protests, then clamps his jaws down on that. He's not going to get drawn into an argument. An argument would just result in him tarrying, and, God...The longer he stays, the higher the risk that he'll do it again, do something wrong again, hurt someone again. He needs to get inside, into his room, and lock the door; he needs to hurl himself to the bottom of the ocean.

So he just stops his protest. He just bows. He says to her, forcing something reasonably cordial, "I give my sincerest apologies. Please do forgive me. But I really must be off."