Page 90 of Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox
Thank you. She has calmed considerably.
What did you do? (Sansa is glaring)
Nothing untoward.
Is your lofty guest still in residence?
Not him, but the others remain
Your child?
Soon
And the pup?
Harmonious dotes on every channel
Tune in, see the crossbreed
poster child for yourself
Cute little guy
His mother?
I’ll ask around
Do.
When she looked up, Argent sat waiting. Again, she felt that subtle alteration in attitude. It wasn’t as if he were slouching, but the stiffness had slipped from his manner.
“Areyou calmer?” he asked.
Tsumiko wasn’t sure why he’d gathered that impression. She was in truly foreign territory, with her only interpreters half a world away. “I don’t think so. Are you?”
“Considerably less than it might seem.” Argent gently pried one of her hands from the coverlet and held it. “But calm enough to converse, should you have questions for me as well.”
Her cheeks warmed.
His thumb traced circles on her palm.
She had wanted his openness. She’d been trying to win his trust. But instead of simply bowing to his mistress’s wishes, he’d made his own wishes known. Was his reversal part of a cunning scheme? Michael’s words suggested otherwise—foxes choose once and choose well.
Tsumiko asked, “Why would you choose someone like me?”
With a faint smile, he countered, “Why would you accept someone like me?”
“Because … it’s you.”
Argent inclined his head. “Exactly.”
FORTY SEVEN
Fool’s Errand
Although they were quite early, voices drifted from the breakfast room. Tsumiko couldn’t grasp the meaning of the words, but their tone was unusually grim. Argent ushered her in, and two men scrambled to their feet—Cedric and Stewart.
They looked … guilty.
