Harlan should not have been surprised that he knew that. ‘Yes, but they’re not exactly close.’
Shapur crossed his arms. ‘Even so, I am certain Lord Thomas will be eager to preserve his family’s reputation.’
He was right. Thomas would never speak up for them, but he might speak up to keep his own family name out of the mud. ‘I’m supposed to be on duty soon.’
Shapur turned away. ‘You have two hours, Commander. I suggest you get a fast horse.’
* * *
‘Back so soon,’ Lord Thomas said, leaning back in his chair and staring hard at the commander. ‘Is this about my niece Eda?’
So he had heard. ‘Yes.’
Thomas nodded thoughtfully. ‘You know, I always thought Blake would be the one to drag my family down—even lower than her mother did. The girls’ father was a decent sort of man for a merchant, but he had no proper control over his children. Do not even get me started on Candace. She has had her head in the clouds for as long as I can remember. It is the children who have run that household since their father’s passing. The only one with any hope is Lyndal.’
Harlan was forced to listen to him go on and on about the inadequacies of the family. He only let him continue in the small hope it would build rapport between them. Eventually he intervened.
‘I believe if you sit down with the farmer and the commander of the borough, you might prevent this going any further.’ Harlan cleared his throat. ‘Perhaps Eda’s inability to communicate—’
‘She is a common thief with no respect for anyone,’ Thomas said, cutting him off. ‘She knew exactly what she was doing. Even her lack of speech is a choice, one I am certain she continues because it angers me.’
Harlan’s eyebrows lifted slightly. ‘I’m sure that’s not the case.’
‘I would not put it past her. I see the way she looks at me. Loyal to her mother with no regard for her future. A spinster in the making.’
Harlan had barely spoken yet was already losing his audience. ‘Unfortunately, your family connection is well known throughout Chadora, which makes it difficult to ignore.’
Lord Thomas tapped a finger on the arm of his chair. ‘Which is why I will step in and see about getting her sentence reduced. Her death would be memorable, whereas a little discipline will be forgotten in a week.’
Now he was getting somewhere. ‘Why not sweep the entire ordeal under the rug and save yourself any embarrassment at all?’
Thomas leaned forwards. ‘Because we cannot have a young girl of thirteen —’
‘Fifteen.’
Thomas waved the correction away as though it were unimportant. ‘A child on the brink of womanhoodthieving. It always seems to fall on me to teach those children life lessons. That is what comes from poor mothering, I suppose.’
‘I think time spent in the tower is lesson enough for a young woman,’ Harlan said.
‘My own daughter perhaps, but not that one. She has a rather thick skin.’
Harlan shifted his weight to his other foot. ‘No one wants to see a young lady harmed over a chicken.’
‘My wife and daughter would be most upset if she were hung. They have an enormous amount of empathy for those less fortunate than us. The Suttone family serve as a constant reminder to my daughter that things could be far worse. Every young woman needs reminding sometimes of how bad things can get if one veers off course.’ He leaned back again. ‘Leave it with me. I think a public apology and a healthy display of remorse should satisfy. She might think twice next time before taking what does not belong to her.’ Thomas picked up his quill and dipped it into the pot of ink, preparing to begin a letter.
Harlan did not move. ‘Eda is mute, my lord. Won’t that make an apology rather difficult?’
Thomas looked up from his letter. ‘As I said earlier, the girl is selectively mute. She spoke just fine as a child. In fact, before the wall was built, I used to have a headache every time the family left our manor. Eda used to talk incessantly. She will speak if given no choice on the matter.’ He returned to his letter. ‘I appreciate you coming by, Commander. I assume you can see yourself to the door?’
Harlan nodded. ‘Yes, I can see myself out.’
* * *
‘It’s not something she can just turn on and off,’ Blake said, pacing the length of the veranda.
Harlan had expected her to say that. He remained on the street, watching her in the dark. He had just come off duty.
‘It’ll come back when the grief eases its grip on her,’ she continued. ‘I know it will.’
