Sereva turned her head to eye Kit in the flashing, changing lights of the passing buildings. Then she touched a control panel at her fingertips, and the security window went up between Simon and the passenger’s compartment.

“Have you actually seen him?” Sereva asked quietly.

Kit’s eyebrows rose. “Chay? I think he has a lot more important people to visit while he’s here than me.”

“Does he know you’re in the city?”

Kit looked out the window. “I imagine he does.”

“Does he know how to get in touch with you?”

Kit looked back at her cousin with some irritation. “I suppose so! Why? Why do you think he would want to get in touch with me? I don’t have any information for him. I can’t tell him how to get Jex out of prison. I can’t explain to him how to deal with Ariana Bayless. He doesn’t need me.”

“I know he’s fond of you,” Sereva continued in that same quiet voice. “I thought perhaps he might find it restful to see a friendly face. This can’t be a pleasant journey for him.”

Kit was looking out the window again. “He’s less fond of me these days than he used to be,” she said, her voice low. “I don’t think I’ll be approaching him while he’s here.”

And that was all they said on the subject, but Kit had to give Sereva a little credit; Granmama would not have acknowledged Chay Zanlan’s presence in the city, let alone the fact that Kit knew him. Let alone the fact that Kit loved his son, Jex. But Granmama indeed was aware of all these disgraceful facts. Kit knew she considered that one more black mark to be scrawled next to Anton Solvano’s name, that he had taken his daughter with him into Geldricht and there lived among the gulden as an equal and a friend. Granmama was able to lay at the father’s door all blame for the daughter’s wayward behavior.

“Well, at any rate, you’re welcome to stay with me a few days,” Sereva said. “It would be a good excuse to get out of Granmama’s house for a while. And I’d be happy to have you.”

It was a kind invitation and a thoughtful change of subject. Kit smiled over at her cousin in the dark. “Let’s see how well dinner goes first,” she said with a laugh. “And then we’ll talk about extended visits.”

*   *   *