Olivia would be put off by the state of him if she wasn't already familiar with stable work herself -- a fondness for horses isn't something the General Count has a monopoly on, after all. "Ilyan, was it? So I understand." Piotr's doing, mentioned off hand as something for the 'mutie' to do. There's no doubt that he let Barrayaran prejudices compromise good sense, but Piotr isn't beyond seeing reason. Surely Miles Ilyan had more to offer than shoveling shit.

Waving his apology away, Olivia gestures him forward to walk side by side with her. "It has come to my attention that some of your talents have been," her lips purse, slightly, "wasted." Which is the kindest term -- she understands her husband's reasoning, what little of it he'd shared -- even if she doesn't agree with it.