Helen's hand moved for just a moment, a little twitch upwards almost as though she wanted to touch his arm, before she reached to tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. Protective urges or not, they helped, as did everything related to this talk, her relationship with James. She was very grateful he'd stuck with her through everything. Honestly, she really didn't know what she'd do without him.

Her hand rested back on top of his, giving it a small squeeze. "I always knew you were a flatterer, James," she laughed softly. "I just never thought it would be quite like this."

The flattery, the confidence... it was all very nice, but it also made her a little sad. Once upon a time, she'd been innocent enough to believe things like that. A part of her still believed it, more so because it came from James. Were it anyone else, she would think they were just trying to woo her, to make her believe that they cared about her as a person instead of as the very intelligent woman from Oxford. No, James liked her for who she was. That much she was certain of.

Her smile warmed a bit more. "Really, it's always a pleasure to work with you." And it was, more than she could say.