Sesily’s eyes lit up. “Excellent!”
“You are certain he is not claimed?” Seline asked thoughtfully. “You haven’t—”
Sera shook her head. “I haven’t.”
“At all?” Seline said, full of disbelief.
“At all.”
“You know none of us would judge you if you had,” Seleste leapt to say.
“Of course not. What with how awful Haven must have—” Seleste said, cutting herself off before she could finish the sentence, the result of their sisters’ combined, pointed stares. “Never mind.”
Except he hadn’t been awful.
She didn’t say the words. Hated that she even thought them. But in all the years that she had been away from him, she had not taken a lover. And thinking of him had been why.
“Well,” Sesily said. “Is he big and brutish? Warnick-sized? I should not turn away someone Warnick-sized.”
The outraged gasps and snickers around the carriage pulled Sera from her thoughts. “The Duke of Warnick?” If she recalled correctly, the Scotsman had inherited a dukedom years earlier and never came to London. “Is he in Society now?”
“Rarely. He’s King’s dearest friend,” Sophie said, referring to her husband with a wave of her hand. “And married to one of our dearest friends. You’ll meet Lily soon enough. She promised they’d be back in town in the autumn.”
“Oh,” Sera replied, unable to find other words. Hating that a whole person had entered their lives while she’d been gone. It was a silly thought, of course. No doubt dozens of people had done just that. And besides, she had Caleb, didn’t she?
“You’ll love her,” Sesily said. “Everyone does.”
“Everyone thinks she’s a proper scandal,” Seline said, looking to Sera. “She sat for a nude painting while you were away. It put Sesily’s dramatics to shame.”
“Well. We love her. We love anyone with a scandalous past.” She grinned. “That’s why we like you so much, Sera. Now. To the point. Is he very large?”
Sera smiled. “Very.”
Not as tall as Haven. She ignored the thought.
“Excellent.”
“And very brash. Hates Englishmen.”
Sesily smirked. “Then he shall loathe Haven.”
“He already does.” She paused, then added, “He’s a good friend.”
Sesily watched her for a long moment. “You deserve one of those.”
She wasn’t sure she did, honestly.
“We shall all get along perfectly, then,” Sesily said. “Is he joining us?”
“No,” Sera answered, too quickly, nearly revealing the lie in the truth. Caleb was not joining them. He was to stay in London to keep the Sparrow in order. But that did not mean that Sera was leaving the tavern entirely. “He’s not.”
“Sera, we believe you haven’t.” Sesily offered an exceedingly clear hand motion, eliciting several snickers. “But is it possible that . . . you wish to?”
All the world, so interested in her sexual exploits. And none understanding that she hadn’t any exploits. That she didn’t want them. Ever again. “It’s not possible. Caleb is not joining me. You are. And that’s that.”
A pause again. And then, “Does Haven know we’re joining you?”
Sera hesitated, and the silence stretched through the carriage. “Not . . . exactly?”
“Well. There’s that, then,” Sophie said, matter-of-factly. “I did wonder why he had been so willing to open his doors to me. Considering . . .”
Seline laughed. “Considering the last time he saw you, you put him on his ass in a lake.”
“It was a pond,” Sophie pointed out, primly. “An indoor pond.”
“Oh, yes. That’s much better,” Seleste said.
Sophie waved away the jests and looked to Sera. “So, we might be turning right back round once we get there?”
“I’m not spending a minute longer than necessary in this carriage,” Sesily moaned. “It’s hot and miserable in here.”
Seleste pressed closer to Sera. “Oh, no.”
“I’m beginning to feel ill,” Sesily said.
“I don’t even have to look out the window to know we’ve left the city, then. It’s only a matter of time before Sesily casts up her accounts.” Seleste turned to Sera. “Someone told the driver that we’d likely be stopping and pushing her out the door?”
“I wasn’t quite so unfeeling as that, but yes.”
“Unfeeling. She’s a grown, adult human and she can’t ride in a carriage without being ill.”
Sesily groaned, and Sera thought she looked a bit green. “I don’t know how your earl puts up with you.”
Seleste smiled. “He likes a challenge.”
“Don’t look out the window, Sesily,” Sera offered.
“Ugggh.”
“In all honesty, Ses . . .” Sophie changed the topic, reaching down for the basket Sesily had brought with her. “If not pasties, what is in the basket?”
“Not food.”
Sophie sighed.
“Didn’t you have breakfast?” Seline said.
“I did. But surely it’s lunchtime now.”
“It’s half past nine.”
“Oh.”
“Good Lord. Your state is making you hungrier than usual, isn’t it?”
Sophie nodded, reaching for the basket. “Eating for two and all that. You are sure there are no tarts in here? Fruit? Bread? Oooh. Is there cheese?”
“Uuuughhh. Don’t say cheese.”
“Never mind. I shall look myself.” Ignoring Sesily’s groan, Sophie worked the latch on the basket.
Sesily sat straight up. “Wait! Don’t—”
A wild yowl rose from the basket, followed immediately by Sophie’s shriek of surprise as she leapt back and a massive ball of white fur shot out onto Seleste’s lap. Seleste shrieked as well, her arms coming to protect her face, as the animal clambered up her torso to reach the back of the bench, arching its back and clinging to the narrow space.
“What is it? What is it?” Seleste shot across the carriage, one hand clapped over her eyes, and planted herself between Seline and Sophie, eliciting a chorus of disapproval from the previously comfortable duo.
“For God’s sake, Seleste,” Seline said. “Stop screaming.”
Seleste stopped screaming.
Sophie found her voice. “That isn’t cheese.”
The cat let out a low growl.
“Now we’ll never get him back in the basket,” Sesily whined.
Sera began to laugh. The laughter came long and welcome, in great, heaving gasps. Seline caught it next, and then Sophie. And soon, the trio was unable to stop, the ebb tide of laughter swiftly overtaken by another rise, and another, until they’d lost complete control of themselves.
“It isn’t funny!” Seleste protested. “The thing attacked me!”
The thing in question hissed.
The carriage slowed, and a tap came at the roof. “My ladies? Is all well?”
“And now the coachman thinks we’ve all gone mad!”
Sera found breath enough to call out, “All is quite well, thank you!” before Seline and Sophie collapsed into laughter once more, bringing her along with them.