Tehr nodded.  He'd already invited Emily d'Ravos to the ball, and now the queen was asking him if he could bring a d'Saari instead.  He wondered what it would cost him to get out of the arrangement with d'Ravos.  Sighing, he admitted to the Queen the dilemma he was in.  "You see," he said after explaining it, "My desire was to try to help prop Ravos up as an often overlooked house.  Again, the taint of being not human weighs on their house.  In addition I feared showing up with a human, say one of the d'Saari, that the hens in court would take it as a declaration that we two might be looking at marriage.  Which, as of right now, is not high on my list of priorities."<br/><br/>He sighed a second time and finished the wine in the glass, "But as I said, my life is for the crown.  I will try to make amends with d'Ravos and explain my need to take someone else."