Prince of Cats - Tasha Black Page 0,23
a hyena.
But here she was.
Kieran was sitting on his blanket looked pretty pleased himself. He held a small woolen horse that looked a lot like the big dapple they had traveled on last night.
“Hi buddy,” Piper said.
“Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma,” Kieran crowed, arms out, fingers wiggling.
She scooped him up and brought him into bed with her to nurse.
A few minutes later there was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” Piper called out.
Ruthyr scuttled in with a tray, shutting the door behind her with her generous hip.
“Ah, he’s having his breakfast,” Ruthyr cried, as if Kieran were the most brilliant baby in the world to have decided to eat breakfast at just that moment.
Kieran popped his head up and gave her a milk-drunk grin.
“No, no, you eat your breakfast, little scamp,” she chatted merrily to him as she laid out the tray on the bed. “This is for your mum.”
Mum.
Piper’s heart froze at the word. No one was supposed to know that. Had she blown her cover already?
“It’s okay, love,” the older woman assured her. “Your secret’s safe with me. I’ve served master Killian for a long time. I’m not about to betray him now.”
Piper relaxed a bit, and her stomach began to growl at the sight of the feast before her. There was an earthenware mug steaming with coffee, a bowl of glistening cut fruit, big hunks of whole grain toast slathered with butter, eggs, bacon, and some sort of pastry, as well as a mug of oatmeal.
But she reached for the pitcher of water first.
“I’ll get that, love,” Ruthyr said, pouring her out a large glass.
Piper chugged it and felt better instantly.
“Little tykes make you thirsty, don’t they?” Ruthyr asked sympathetically.
“Yes,” Piper said, grabbing a piece of the heavenly looking toast. She took a bite.
It tasted even better than it looked.
“Want me to keep you company?” Ruthyr asked.
“Yes, please,” Piper said. “Unless I’m keeping you from something else.”
“Oh, there’s always something else,” Ruthyr said, waving her hand dismissively. “This is more important. You eat, I’ll talk to you about life in the castle.”
“This is quite an introduction,” Piper said through a mouthful of the most delicious berries she had ever tasted.
“As long as you’re the little prince’s wet nurse, you’ll have a breakfast like this brought to you in bed every morning,” Ruthyr told her. “Once he’s weaned, if you choose to stay on, you’ll have to come down to the kitchen for breakfast like the rest of us.”
Piper nodded. That sounded more than fair.
“Of course, this isn’t really breakfast,” Ruthyr said. “You slept the better part of the day. But I asked cook to make you up a breakfast anyway. Prince Killian said you would like that.”
Piper smiled, wondering at the idea that Killian already knew her so well. Then again, who wouldn’t enjoy a meal like this?
“The little prince will need more than feeding,” Ruthyr went on. “Prince Killian had a word with the staff last night. He insists you’re to provide all care for his heir, and that I’m to assist where you deem necessary.”
Ruthyr looked worried delivering this news, as if she thought perhaps Piper would not want to be responsible for the baby at all times.
“Oh, how nice,” Piper said, kissing the top of Kieran’s head. “That’s exactly what I hoped would happen. Don’t worry, I won’t trouble you often.”
Ruthyr nodded once, then fell into silence.
“You’ll have to be careful, love,” she said at last. “You can’t make the truth as obvious to others as it is to me.”
“The royal court is dangerous,” Piper murmured.
“Oh the royals will take no notice of you,” Ruthyr said. “It’s the other servants who will be watching. Be careful.”
Piper nodded and put down the bowl of fruit. She had suddenly lost her appetite.
“Now you know, so you can mind yourself,” Ruthyr said cheerfully, patting her on the knee. “That’s all. So is His Majesty ready for the presentation?”
“Oh, I haven’t seen him yet today,” Piper replied, wondering what Killian was up to.
Ruthyr blinked back at her.
“Oh,” Piper realized out loud. “You mean the baby. What presentation?”
She was wondering if she was going to have to start referring to her baby as His Majesty, when there was a knock at the door.
Ruthyr hopped up to answer it.
Piper lifted Kieran to her shoulder to burp him, and he banged on her cheerfully with chubby little fists.
“It is time for the heir to be presented before the royal council,” a man’s voice barked out from the doorway.
A shudder of dread