It takes no time for it to register to him. She sobs once and he stops what he's doing immediately because while there may be no limits to what he can do to her he knows precisely when he's gone too far. He knows because he so rarely manages to go to any extreme. But there it is, she's crying and he's sure he's overstepped.

"Oh, no. No, no, Effie, darling," he says, rising and wiping off his face. "Come now. Come here. I've stopped. It's done, love."

And as he always is afterward, he's soft and gentle, offering her every bit of comfort and support. He's quite good at this part. The after care. This comes naturally.