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"I meant to go to the banking house today," I temporized. "To draw on my letter of credit. I've no funds of my own until I do."

"We'll stop on the way." She beckoned. "You don't have to schedule the assignation today, but we can still make the appointment. Oh, come on! This will be fun."

It struck me that it would be the first act of my own volition that I'd committed since I chased after the thief who'd stolen my purse. That was the thought that drove me to my feet. "All right," I said recklessly. "Let's do it."

"Excellent!" Lianne squeezed my hand. "Are you familiar with the Houses of the Night Court? Do you know which one you'd choose?"

"Where did the Queen serve?" I asked her.

That got me an amused sidelong glance. "Naive, but a quick study, eh? Her majesty was an adept of Cereus House, First among the Thirteen. They celebrate the ephemeral nature of beauty."

Jehanne's face and orchid blossoms mingled in my memory. "That's the one."

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Cereus House was lovely. The Dowayne, which was the title given to the head of each House of the Night Court, received us in an inner courtyard garden. Autumn flowers of marigold, amaryllis, and chrysanthemum bloomed in profusion, vibrant, healthy, and well tended. I breathed in the air with pleasure, tasting their tang.

"Do you like it?" The Dowayne, Neriel no Cereus, smiled at me. I gauged her to be in her late sixties, tall and slender, with hair gone pure silver. "I heard you had a fondness for the outdoors."

I was startled. "You did?"

Lianne Tremaine sipped a glass of wine. "Lesson the first, Lady Moirin. Gossip travels faster than a thunderclap in the City, and nowhere faster than to the Night Court."

"To, yes," the Dowayne agreed. "From is another matter. Shall we speak of your desires, my lady?"

I shrugged. "I wish to learn."

She studied me. "Do you think to enter Naamah's Service yourself?" She reached out and touched my arm. "Mixed though your heritage may be, I suspect her gifts are strong in you. They are in your father, you know, and I see a good deal of Phanuel in you."

"You do?" The idea pleased me. "You know him?"

"Oh, yes." The Dowayne smiled again. "Of course. His family has a long history in Naamah's Order." She paused. "But it's too soon for such questions, isn't it? Forgive me. You're not ready to decide; you've only set out on your journey. It would be the privilege of Cereus House to teach you what we may."

I smiled back at her. "I'd like that."

After some discussion, we set a date for two days hence. I signed a contract that spelled out the terms of the assignation and parted with a goodly sum of money. I left lighter of purse, but lighter-hearted. After all, I once again had a purse of my own. I was no longer dependent on Raphael de Mereliot for funds or pleasure.

"See?" In the carriage, Lianne regarded me with pleased amusement. "I told you this was a good idea."

"You did," I agreed. "Thank you."

At the townhouse, Raphael was less sanguine.

"Moirin!" he barked at me upon my return, pacing in the foyer. "Where in the seven hells were you?"

"Out," I said briefly.

"Out." He glowered at me. "I had plans for us this afternoon."

"Oh?" I inquired. "You might have bothered to inform me."

Raphael gave me a stormy look, then checked himself. "You're right," he said softly, circling my waist with his arms. "I'm sorry. I was caught up in my own affairs. There's a lad I'd like you to see with me, a young lad." He kissed my neck. "A patient of mine."

I hated the way my knees went weak. "Aye?"

"Aye." His lips curved as though the word were a private jest between us—and mayhap it was. Then he pulled back, his look serious. "It's young Marc de Thibideau. The Comte's youngest and a companion of Prince Thierry. He broke his leg in a hunting accident some weeks ago. His femur. That's the thigh bone. It's set properly, but it's not healing well. I suspect the new bone matter isn't growing as fast as it ought. I thought…" He freed one hand and raked it through his