[Teresa Edgerton]

Yes, with Francis Skelbrooke the inner motivations are just about exactly as you've described them.

With Ruan, it's a bit more complex. With part of his mind he's naturally thinking about Sindérian and the potential dangers of their situation, but I was also preparing the way for something quite different and unrelated that becomes rather important in the third book. You have very cleverly picked up on a clue that's given as a sort of throw away hint in passing, but will become more explicit later.