Spoo, sitting with immense pride astride the cat, slid off and moved away only to be instantly surrounded by decklings, the returning hero. They hustled her off in a nattering group, like a gaggle of excited geese.

The lioness looked up at Rue as if waiting for something.

Rue said, “I’d be delighted to offer you use of my quarters and a dressing robe. It is Miss Sekhmet, is it not?”

The cat tilted her head, whiskers twitching.

“The robe will be short on you, I am afraid. I am assuming, as our first meeting took place in the Maltese Tower, that you are not afflicted, like werewolves, with an inability to float? But I get ahead of myself. We have much to discuss that I am afraid requires you to be in human form.”

The werecat nodded her sleek head. Rue wondered if in this she was the same as werewolves. It was a mark of age and skill to possess all of one’s facilities while in animal shape. Oh, she had so many questions!

Quesnel and Percy, having stood at the arrival of their visitor, abandoned their tea to approach.

“Rue,” said Percy. “Are you talking to a lioness? Is that wise? Aren’t they hazardous to the health?”

Without batting an eye Quesnel said, “Of course – Miss Sekhmet, is it? That’s why you shrouded yourself in fabric under the direct sunlight this morning.”

“No wonder she looked so exhausted,” added Rue, trying to carry everything off with aplomb when inside she was now trembling with excitement: A werecat. I found a werecat! Well, she found me, but still!

“And too weak to fight off her kidnappers,” added Quesnel. “Or should I say, catnappers?”

The lioness looked displeased at that statement. She flattened her ears at Quesnel.

“Spoo, would you show our guest to my chambers?”

“My pleasure, Lady Captain. Right this way, miss.” Spoo trotted off, the lioness trailing behind.

They disappeared.

Percy said, “Is she staying? Footnote is not going to be happy.” And then, after a moment, “Where has my sister gone?”

Primrose, as it turned out, had fainted.

The decklings collected around her in a chattering worried mass.

Rue applied smelling salts and Prim revived relatively quickly. Her big dark eyes were smudged with concern. She sat up.

“I’m feeling better. I do apologise. Terribly silly of me.”

“It’s the heat,” said Rue, giving Prim an out and offering her a hand up.

“Just so I am clear, do we now have a werelioness on board?” Primrose rose slowly.

“Yes,” said Quesnel, helping her solicitously to sit back in a deck-chair.

“And did she take us shopping this morning?”

“Yes, she did,” confirmed Rue.