He cleared his throat. “Where did you find that?”

I tried to act natural. “Oh this? I found it under the bed when I was looking for my shoe. Is this your old teddy bear?”

I watched carefully as Sebastian’s face flooded with sudden color. He laughed, “Ha ha, I was worried you would think I was an imbecile for keeping that old jouet, mon petit ours.”

Looking down at the bear, I felt somehow relieved. “Oh no, I think it’s adorable,” I said, laughing with him. “I can just imagine you as a little boy.”

“Ha, I was a little terror. Just ask my mother. Now come back to bed so that I can remove some of that pesky clothing.”

I complied willingly.

~

It was only later the next day, Thursday, as I paid again for my ticket into the Louvre, and stood in front of the Mona Lisa again, staring into the black depths of her eyes again, that a tiny seed of doubt took root in my brain.

Why the strange reaction to my finding the teddy bear? Was he really that embarrassed?

There was more to this. Of that much I was sure.