"He's not familiar with the Night Court -- and even less familiar, I'd wager, with what an independent Servant might offer. He may have thought he could not indulge those desires with me. But at Gentian of all places . . ."

It would have been simple enough for him to discover which of the Houses would suit him, if that had been what he wanted. Valerian and Mandrake do have their share of infamy, after all.

"I approached him, at the celebration -- I noticed him watching me and Matthieu." She closes her eyes, not quite wincing. "I introduced him to Matthieu myself."