Cuthbert's relaxed, down on his hunkers, but Caspian doesn't need to know him so well as Alain and Susan do to recognize the readiness in his pose, the way his glance scans the garden and trees around them. If something were to go wrong, he'd be up and those big guns at his hip would be blazing without a second's pause, Caspian has no doubt.

He gets up as Alain brings Susan over, and guides them to a blanket on the grass. "Come sit, Su," he says, as cheerily as he can. "We'll be snug as you like here."