"It seems to me," Laurent said, his tone light and dry enough that it was hard to tell whether he was teasing, "that you simply need to get a larger harp. If you're trying to use a human-sized harp, no wonder you're having trouble."

Laurent kept his stride elegant and easy, not minding that the Beast had to slow for him. It was hardly as though they were in any kind of hurry, and the Beast's company was tolerable now that Laurent had given him these new rules. "Have you always lived here, Beast?"