Chapter 25
Secret Meetings
It was midmorning when she arrived in Veridas.
A little sweaty, but feeling rather pleased with herself, she handed the reins to a stableboy and stuffed the contents of her saddlebags in her pockets.
She made her way to the main square of the city, where a large clock tower stood. The clock tower was made of dark stone and had long, spindly hands on the clock face.
She checked the time—she was still early.
Since she had time, she visited the jewellers’ district. Pretending to examine their wares, she waited until the jeweller finished with a customer and eyed her with interest.
“Back again, miss! Buying or selling today?”
She smiled, withdrew the velvet cloth from her pocket, and opened it to reveal another gem from her collection. This one was a necklace with a large sapphire pendant surrounded by crystals.
“May I?”
The jeweller picked up the sapphire pendant and examined it, letting out a low whistle.
Elizabeth almost cringed as she recalled how much money the stone had cost. How much she had spent on so many frivolous things. A past life. Now, more practical things mattered.
“Yes, I think we could take this off your hands.”
“Excellent.”
She parted with the sapphire pendant, and the jeweller passed her a small sack, laden with gold nobles, and she forced herself not to look relieved.
“Pleasure doing business with you, sir.” When the jeweller returned her smile, she ventured, “By the way, if you ever wanted to turn it into a set, I bought the sapphire separately. The setting I had was custom-made. I could inquire if they could ship me a few others, if there was interest.”
The jeweller surveyed her over his spectacles. “If they are the same cut and clarity as this, I would not mind getting that contact.”
She smiled.
After the jewellers, she stopped at the bank.
To her surprise, the master of the bank didn’t bat an eye when she asked to create an account and deposit gold under a fake name. Luckily, it seemed some commoners had no established family name and no formal documents to prove who they were.
She deposited the sack of gold from the jewellers and several other small black velvet bags on the counter, each filled with a handful of gold and silver nobles.
Caspian might think her spoiled, but she had hardly spent a penny. Every sack of gold that had arrived on her writing desk—an allowance to buy herself frivolous things—she had kept.
She left the bank feeling lighter. One thing at least, she had accomplished.
She walked back to the city square and checked the clock tower.
Elizabeth counted the blocks after the clock tower and found a restaurant she’d seen the last time she was here. She had chosen it for the ample space between tables and the pretty ivy that covered the dark brick walls.
Scanning the tables, she made her way over to a table by the window, stopping before a woman wearing an emerald travelling cloak.
“Well, well, well. I’m surprised you dragged yourself out of bed this early,” Elizabeth drawled.
Charlotte turned to her, eyebrows raised. She paused for dramatics, then they both burst out laughing.
“Lizzy, good gods, tell me what’s going on. Do you have any idea how difficult it was to convince my maid to venture ‘with Connall’s family’ on a trip to Arboras?” Charlotte made quotations in the air.
“Pretty simple, since you’re so clever and have the whole world wrapped around your little finger,” Elizabeth said with a grin, sliding into the opposite seat.
