Sisterhood - Temptation Ch. 06

At the mention of her studies, Katharina thought back to when she had last seen Vera, up in her chambers.

Vera seemed to sense something in Katharina's expression, and spoke again quickly, "I should apologize by the way, for earlier, upstairs."

Katharina assumed Vera was talking about the moment at which she had surprised Vera and Lena together. "Oh no," she replied hurriedly, avoiding Vera's gaze as she looked around, navigating the throng of dancers, "I should. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just barged in. I thought I heard..."

"No no no," Vera coughed, and continued hurriedly, "I mean packing you off so quickly like that. Without thanking you properly for your work. I just wanted to get you off to the ball in time, and I had a few things to attend to myself as well. I didn't mean to be ungrateful."

Katharina smiled a warm smile to herself. It had nagged her a little, having been dismissed from Vera's chambers so quickly after their discovery. "Oh no no. I'm very glad to do it. It was really interesting."

For the first time since they had begun dancing, Vera turned away from Katharina's face and looked around her briefly. Her voice lowered just a tiny bit, so that Katharina had to strain a little to make out her words clearly against the din of the crowded hall, "What you found may turn out to be very useful."

"Oh?" Katharina was intrigued to know more about what her discovery meant, but found it difficult to formulate a specific question while still focusing on the dance. The pace seemed to have picked up a little, the jig of the music shifting to the next plane of a slow crescendo. More girls had arrived to join in, latecomers.

"Possibly it already has been."

Since entering the dance, Katharina hadn't given much thought to what she and Miss Vera had been investigating, before the ball. She recalled how her find was, perhaps, related to the workings of the coven council of Seven, and she wondered again what use this information might already have been to Miss Vera. The council would be meeting later in the evening, at the latest just before dawn the next day, at the conclusion of the ball, but probably before as well.

"With Lia?" Katharina mused, focusing more on her next swirl across the dance floor than on stringing together her thoughts, "Was she able to help you too?"

"Indeed. Don't worry, she'll be back down to join us before long I suspect."

When Katharina turned away from the dance to look again at Vera's face, she saw a familiar wry smile. Vera's eyes darted sideways to look over Katharina's shoulder. Then they widened with a flash of mischief as she looked back at Katharina, "Tell me Katharina, do you like big breasts?"

"What?" Katharina blurted out a nervous giggle, taken aback. She glanced down at Vera's petite chest, held tight and flat just below the neckline of her dress.

"Not mine. They are not particularly big," Vera giggled. She added, "In case you hadn't noticed. Other girls, I meant. Answer quickly. Be honest."

"Oh, well," Katharina considered it. She recalled some of her fondest recent fantasies, involving Louise the bar girl, and felt a little embarrassed, "I er... I guess I do."

"Good," Vera announced. Then she twisted deftly in Katharina's arms and spun herself out and away, holding onto Katharina's hand. With a last sly smile, she pulled firmly on Katharina's arm and swung her in a short arc before letting go.