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Kent could not tell if she was bluffing or serious, and he was not sure which possibility alarmed him more. Considering the fact that Lady Lyndis did not lie about anything—ever—for any reason, she must have meant her comment seriously, but…
For the life of him he couldn’t be sure what to make of any of it.
He cleared his throat to buy himself a moment to think
“Lady Lyndis,” he began as soon as he had managed to gather his thoughts. He made an attempt at nonchalance, though of course he failed; breezy discussion was Sain’s forte, not his own, and his voice came out sounding more than a trifle concerned: “I’m not certain that I heard you correctly. Did you, ah—insinuate that you have a feline…in your bodice…?”
“Yes,” was her immediate response, and the front of her dress wriggled a little as if to do away with any further doubt he might have felt.
One of her hands disappeared down the neckline of her gown and a moment later she pulled out a wriggling orange kitten. It was scarcely old enough to be away from its mother, still unsteady on its stubby legs, eyes round and vaguely blue. Kent hardly realized he was holding a hand out before the soft, warm little creature was transferred to his custody, Lyn’s fingers brushing against his own.
He forced his gaze to her face to gauge her expression, and her eyes nearly sparkled. It was almost as if sharing this ridiculous secret with him brought her some secret joy, but of course that was silly; it was easy to see things when he wanted badly enough to see them, and the thought was more than a little terrifying. He looked back down at the kitten, but it had only curled into a ball in the palm of his hand.
“I promised Grandfather I’d sit next to him during some kind of meeting with his advisors,” Lyn said, “and I don’t think he’d appreciate any interruptions, even if they are fun.” She gathered up her long skirts and practically slung them over an arm.
“I’m certain you’re right.”
Even though he already held the creature, she thought to ask: “Do you mind watching him until I’m done? It will only be an hour or two.”
“Of course,” came his immediate reply—as if he could refuse her something so small. He opened his mouth to tell her that he would be waiting for her, but she had already taken off at a dead run as though worried she would be late. He thought he heard the sound of a faint attempt at a ‘thank you’ as she rounded the corner at the end of the hall, but he couldn’t be sure.
“I suppose we must wait,” he said to the kitten, though of course it wasn’t listening to him. A hint of a smile softened the edges of his lips.