Status Updates From Hyacinthe (La chronique des...

His arms encircled her, and he murmured, lie and close to her ear, "I'm very, very clever." She let out a nervous laugh. "Or part cat." She felt him smile. "That too," he murmured. And then, after a pause: "I missed you." "I-" She wanted to say that she'd missed him, too, but he was too close, and she was too warm, and her voice escaped her. He leaned down, his lips finding the soft spot just below her ear. He touche

Hyacinth almost stumbled, so unexpected was his compliment. "You're welcome," she replied, once she'd gotten over her initial surprise. "I'm happy to do it. To be honest, I don't know what I will do with myself when this is all over. The diary is truly a lovely distraction." "What is it you need to be distracted from?" he asked. Hyacinth thought about that for a moment. "I don't know," she finally said. She looked up