“Vivienne is full of energy,” I said.
“Yes. Stew is in the pot.” He pointed absently to the stove, then made a notation in the corner of a piece of parchment. It seemed so odd to see a man like him so studious.
I sighed. Every wandering thought seemed to be abouthim. Maddening. I served myself. “Would you like a bowl?”
“No, I’ve already eaten.”
I settled back at the table and broke off a piece of fresh bread. “What are you reading?”
He tapped his quill against the paper and looked up through thick lashes. “All of the information about your case. The negotiant you’ve hired—and what he has declared. Your brother will have to answer every question posed by the judge and jury members and deliver his own summary. Negotiants do nothing to interrupt or lead, no matter what yours promised. According to this—” He held up the paper. “You’ve been promised the moon. You’d do well to get your money back.”
My bread dropped into the bowl. “But Ferris said—”
“Quite.”
I dipped my head and fished out my bread with trembling fingers. I’d kill him. Ferris had assured me that the negotiant would solve everything. The negotiant had assured me as well. I hadn’t had time to research the legal system, not with thework I’d been doing on the side, unnoticed by my brother—small jobs to bring in an extra few gold here and there. Legal issues had mattered little to my daily life other than to keep us from debtor’s prison.
“We will visit the negotiant’s office on Friday to break the contract, then find your brother new counsel,” he said.
Perhaps I should visit today.
As if reading my mind, he gave me a sardonic look and said, “My source said your negotiant is out of town on business. He’ll be back Friday. We’ll retrieve your money. I’ve dealt with his sort before.” His brows slashed together as he focused back on the papers before him.
I nodded, determined to read the legislation myself tonight. I shouldn’t just take Gabriel Noble’s word either.
“A more important matter than the negotiant, we need to discover how your brother came to be standing over a dead woman’s body, saturated in dark magic. I am working on getting us into Montranc, but it may take another day or two.”
He checked something off without looking my way. Good thing, as my heart had stopped beating.
“I need you to distract Archibald Penner today, so we can learn as much as possible about that night, at least from an outsider’s perspective. I need you saucy, not vengeful, in order to get the information we need. We can get your brother’s story later.”
My heart started thumping again. He didn’t believe my brother innocent yet—his tone made that clear—but if he could get me into Montranc to see Kennen, I could forgive him much.
“Thank you.”
He looked up and just watched me with those unnaturally bright eyes for a few moments before looking back to his papers. “Just distract Penner.”
~*~
Archibald Penner answered on the second knock. He was a square man—exceedingly square, as if lines had been drawn from shoulder to hip, his body fitting itself to that mold. He had sandy blond hair and brown eyes, which while not especially sharp, held a spark.
“Master Penner?” Noble wore an easy smile, his features somewhat obscured and softened by a low slung cap.
“Yes?”
Noble stuck out a hand. “Nathaniel Upholt, fromTheGilded Guardian.We’d like to do a piece on your capture of the Vein Ripper.”
Penner’s square shoulders puffed back and two spots of color appeared in his cheeks as he vigorously shook the proffered hand. “Come in, come in.”
I followed Noble inside. My first impression of Penner’s house was that it was…fastidious. Perfectly framed pieces, no spare bits of color or style. Geometric. I looked again. Square. Everything was squared away, just like Penner himself.
“This is my assistant, Mistress Klein. Don’t mind her. She’s more for display,” Noble whispered in a stage voice.
I didn’t know whether to be offended or amused. And what was he thinking? Nathaniel Upholt was a real journalist. Noble didn’t seem to understand the importance of that, though, as he calmly retrieved an ink pot, quill, and paper.
Penner gave me a once-over and licked his lips. “Nice, nice.”
In my low cut outfit I wasn’t surprised I warranted a second look from a man with a taste for shopgirls. Noble had given me cosmetics to apply that didn’t require magic application but contained skin-sinking charms, and without my fumbling, they were surprisingly effective. They hadn’t turned me into a raging beauty, but they had softened my harsh angles and made me look halfway alive again. My eyes were brighter, my cheeks andlips glowed, shadows and wanness covered by cosmetic spells that didn’t require my upkeep.
