By the time the snows were thawing alongside the road to Paris, Kira had missed three bleedings. There was no escaping the fact that she was pregnant with Thierry’s seed.
She had been ill from the second week on the six-week ship voyage to Genoa, and sick enough not to care about anything other than sleep. Nogai had lost a gaming partner and Thierry had lost a lover in her illness. Kira had lost weight, despite Thierry’s efforts to encourage her to eat. She had been grateful for his warmth when he held her close against the chills, and was glad to have him as her protector.
Indeed, she was uncertain she would have had the will to survive without his quiet strength, and his insistence on bringing her food and drink at regular intervals. She had seen more of that unexpectedly playful side
