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Her future balanced precariously on the slimmest precipice she’d known. Did she keep to his room, concealing herself, thereby taking the predictable, yet uninspired path? That of companion, of underappreciated servant?

“Meeow. Mewrr?”

Her fingers braved traveling from the cat and beyond the warm coverings that still held the scent of the man who’d held her all night. She stroked the mattress where he’d lain.Brier. Who’d caressed her so splendidly this morning.

Or did she, conversely, take the greatest leap of her life? Launch off that intimidating precipice and fly? Trusting the man she had known such a short, yet exultant, time to catch her?

I want to jump. To soar straight into his arms.

“Reeoww!”

Seemed their feline agreed with her choice, but when Luce threw off the covers, ready to head downstairs, ’twas to the realization she had naught but her night-rail in the vicinity. Which made any downward journey a thousand times more challenging.

So she bundled up in a jacket of Brier’s, found hanging over the privacy screen, and made it halfway down the stairs before her pluck expired. So she flopped down where she stood, hindquarters meeting the wooden step, and crossed her arms tight across her middle.

“There now.” If anyone thought to look, they would see her. While not visible to those in the store, anyone who ventured into the back rooms had a clear view of their brother’s nowdecidedlyloose Luce.

She choked on her own spit at the thought and then sat up a little straighter.

Barnabas butted against her back, urging her to her feet and the rest of the way. “Meerrrrrreeeeowww!!”

“No, sir,” she told the cat in a whisper—who one would swear, justhuffedas he slid on by, tail stiffly erect.

At the bottom of the stairs, he gave her a narrow-eyed glare before stalking off, toward the indistinct voices—no longer easily audible now that the siblings need not yell to be heard.

* * *

Ho-hum.

Humans. Why did they not listen?

Was not his important self trying to nudge the female toward the discovery of her belongings?

Had he not planted himself in the cold, dark, stench-filled alley yesterday, claws piercing the bag his new fierce friend had left, claiming it? Protecting it? Waiting and waiting and waiting…

For preposterous humans who took an absurd amount of time to even begin searching for the worthy feline who deigned to protect their abode from mice, rats and various varmints and vermin?

Humedy-hum-hum.

Unwilling to condescend further, for his patience had quite reached its end, Barnabas brushed past their new female—who absolutely refused to listen, to heed his entreaties. Stubborn lass.

He decided instead to lure his landlord’s younger brother outside; he’d already identified their visitors by scent, possessor of such an accomplished sniffer and all.

Barnabas utterlythrivedwhen the one called Clayton came to stay in the shop and play merchant for a time, all those creepers and crawlers the man liked to collect?

The “specimens” Barnabas preferred to think of assnacks…

* * *

“Hampshire hogs and Suffolk sheep,who are you?”

The black-haired stunner, her skin unfashionably dark, sped forward upon spying Lucinda. Strong-tea-colored eyes opened wide, her astonished smile quickly following.

Brier’s sister—Eve?—jerked to a halt partway up the steps and gasped, her smile faltering to a stern frown “Oh my goodness.” She waved fingers at the side of her own face, mirroring Luce’s bruise. “Please tell me my brother didn’t—”

“Nay! How could you eventhink—” Fierce protectiveness swamped her, squashed out the earlier hesitation. “How could youasksuch? Brier would never—”

“I know. Iknow. But…” The female, dressed as one making morning calls on those of elevated status, dropped to her knees on the nearest step and grasped Luce’s hands with her gloved ones, just then noticing the wraps. “I know. Forgive my runaway mouth. ’Tis simply a shock. To see afemale. Here. With him. Whatdidhappen? For now that I look closer upon your countenance, even I can discern no fist did that. And these bandages?” Lightly, she lifted Luce’s hands. “Areyouall right?”