章 19: Interference

"How old are you?"

I jerked upright to find Lord Fashire redirecting his attention from the window to focus on me. His eyes sized me up.

Clutching my hands tightly in my lap, I instinctively avoided his penetrating stare, unable to hold eye contact with him for long. "Twenty-four, my Lord," I managed to utter in a hoarse whisper, suddenly aware of the dryness in my throat and how thirsty I was.

A raised eyebrow and a look of surprise danced across Lord Fashire's face. "Really? You appear far younger than that."