Avinia and Isla were combing too roughly as they took Kit’s hair down to prepare her for the evening’s visit from Jate. Kit couldn’t blame them for being more than a little uptight about the situation she’d created with her announcement after dinner, but she did wish they wouldn’t take it out on her scalp. The one time she’d winced, Avinia had apologized, saying it wasn’t done on purpose. Kit had to wonder if perhaps that wasn’t quite the case.

“He’ll be fine,” Isla insisted, though the dragging motion she made with the comb through Kit’s locks said she believed otherwise. “He’ll manage.”

“Yes, well, that may be true for...