He had a plain face, but there was such pleasing openness in his expression, such frank and innocent admiration in his eyes as he watched me approach, that I found myself smiling warmly at him as I requested that he show me where the kittens were.
The groom laid aside his broom and led me to the back of the stables, where a ladder led up to a hayloft. “Up there, ma’am.”
“Will they be afraid of me?” I asked.
“Belike, they will,” he said, and then after a hesitation he offered to accompany me up. He must have known me for what I was, but he spoke to me with such respectful courtesy, as if I were a virtuous lady and not an Impure, that I found myself quite unafraid to be alone in his company and willingly accepted his offer.
The groom ascended the ladder, and I climbed after him and crawl
