Ashlynn's question landed on Inquisitor Diarmuid in much the same way it fell on Loman, though the older man's response was substantially different.
Diarmuid couldn't deny what he would have done had he stood in Sir Tommin's shoes on the night that Owain attempted to murder his wife for bearing the mark of a witch. As an Inquisitor, his duty was clear, and if Ashlynn had been alive, and he'd known nothing of her beyond her name and station, he would have carried her away to the Church in the hopes of keeping her alive until they reached the Holy City.
A man who knew nothing, but possessed clear instructions and was vested with great power was one of the most dangerous men in the world, and Diarmuid was honest enough to admit that, on the night of Ashlynn's wedding to Owain Lothian, he had been just such a man.
