He flashed a companionable grin at her. “That was the leopard in you. They like to go up all the time. The higher the better.”

“And I took tons of naps. I was always sleepy in the day.”

He nodded. “And up all night. Mom actually made me do lessons at night when I was a teen. She said I’d do my best work then.”

“And you played music at night?”

“I couldn’t sleep sometimes—most of the time. And she was . . . sad. We’d sit listening to the rain and then we’d come out here with our instruments. She’d have the violin and I’d have a guitar and we’d play together. Most of the time the animals would come. A few times I glimpsed leopards, but they never came close and she pretended not to notice them, so I followed her lead.”

“I wish I could have met her.”

He blinked and his expression settled into the familiar mask. “She would have loved you. She always wanted a daughter.”

“You said she was killed by Suma? Why? Why would he kill a female leopard?”

His jaw hardened. “Suma killed her in the village. She tried to defend Adan’s family.”

Her breath caught in her lungs. “That was your mother? I heard you tell Jeremiah that Suma killed your mother, but I had no idea that was the Marisa I knew from Adan’s village. I did meet her—more than once, but of course I saw her only as a human, not a leopard. She was so sweet to me. She treated me as a daughter.” She felt burning in her eyes and looked away. “For a while she made me feel less lonely. I was pretty broken up.” Her throat burned. Maybe he’d believe it was over the death of her father. She’d been shocked—traumatized, but Conner’s deceit had shattered her.

He stared at her almost in horror. “You spent time with my mother?”

As if that was all he heard and he didn’t seem happy about it. Isabeau tried not to be hurt all over again, but it was a blow nevertheless.

“She often would come to my camp with Adan’s grandson, or even by herself, and she sometimes stayed several days with me. She would bring a little boy with her. They’d even go out looking for plants with me. She was very knowledgeable. Sometimes all I had to do was sketch a plant and she’d identify what it was and where it was as well as the various uses for it. She could take me right to it. She never mentioned playing the violin though.” She made an effort not to sound defiant.

“My God.” He scrubbed his hands over his face and then he stood abruptly.

She caught the sheen of tears in his eyes before he leapt from the platform to the ground below, leaving her alone.

Chapter 7

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