“It will be a wonderful ball, Papa, I will make sure of it,” Isabelle said from beside me. Her cheeks were flushed pink with excitement. She had been going on without pause about the upcoming ball the moment breakfast began. I wondered when she managed to down her two pieces of toast.
“I’m sure you will, my dear,” Lord Frederick said for the third time.
“Mama taught me everything about event planning, isn’t that right, Mama?”
Lady Huntington smiled. “And you have been the perfect pupil, my darling girl.”
I raised my teacup over my lips in case I made a face. Mother would dote on me in the same manner in public, though I never realized how sickening it was to watch.
Lady Huntington turned to Crown Prince Bennett. “It certainly won’t be as grand as the balls you are used to, Your Highness, but gatherings at our abbey are delightful nonetheless.”
“Certainly. I look forward to it,” the crown prince said. He bent down and lifted Pippin from underneath the table.
Isabelle let out a strangled squeal.
Lady Huntington set down her tea with a clatter. “Lady Narcissa, I believe I made it clear that—”
“This is my cat, Lady Huntington,” Crown Prince Bennett interrupted, letting Pippin onto the table. “I reunited with him yesterday and find myself rather attached again. I presume it will be acceptable to have him dine with us.”
Lady Huntington sputtered. “Y-your Highness!”
“Of...of course,” Isabelle said with a high-pitched giggle. “How lovely it is that you dote on your pet, Your Highness.”
Lord Frederick cocked his head, eyes flicking from Pippin to Crown Prince Bennett to me. “Isabelle, do you not have an allergy—?”
“It’s a seasonal thing!” Isabelle exclaimed as Pippin strode over to lick a dollop of whipped cream off her plate. “A...seasonal thing,” she squeaked.
Crown Prince Bennett held out a piece of toast to Pippin, who approached but merely stared at it. “He’s lonely.” He gave me a sidelong glance. It was the first time he looked at me since the carriage yesterday. “Lady Narcissa, will your cat join us?”
I blinked. “Misty already ate, Your Highness.”
He nodded. “Next time, then.”
Lady Huntington pressed her lips together so tightly they disappeared.
She forced a smile nonetheless. “Frederick says you are free today, Your Highness. Perhaps you’d like a tour of Huntington Abbey after breakfast?”
“A grand idea,” Crown Prince Bennett said. “The cats can stretch their legs.” He removed the napkin from his lap and stood, leaving Pippin. “Let us start in ten minutes.”
I stared, first at the crown prince’s retreating figure, then the faces of the remaining parties. Isabelle and Lady Huntington were both beet red, watching Pippin meander on top of the table with bulging eyes. Lord Frederick gave me a knowing smile, as if we were sharing a secret joke. I wasn’t sure what the joke was.
The tabby cat leaped from the table to my lap. His stomach gurgled.I’m starting to think that cream wasn’t a good idea.
