Fairs' Point (23 page)

“
I don’t—” Voillemin swallowed the direct insult in the nick of time, and Eslingen swallowed a curse, knowing he had no excuse to intervene. “You’ve no business being here.”

“
He’s here at my invitation,” Eslingen said. “To see my dog.”

Voillemin glanced down at Sunflower, his lip curling in an u
npleasant smile. “Such as it is.”

Naimi drew breath to answer, and visibly thought better of it. DeVoss said,
“Eslingen’s our client, right enough, and who he brings as a guest is his business. I’ve no complaint to make.”

“
The complaint’s not yours to make,” Voillemin answered, but he seemed to have himself under control again. “It’s between Fairs and Dreams, and you know your chief will hear of this, Rathe.”

“
She gave me the day off herself,” Rathe said. “And she’s made it clear I’m not to cause you trouble.”

Voillemin nodded sharply, and looked at DeVoss.
“Dame, I’ll take your word to the chief, and I’m sorry for the loss of your man. But you know as well as I that we have one or two such deaths every racing season.”

“
Not quite like this,” DeVoss said, but shook her head. “Do as you please, I’m done with it.”

“
I’ll carry that word, too,” Voillemin said, with acid courtesy, and turned away.

DeVoss swore comprehensively, and looked at Rathe.
“And now I don’t dare be seen talking to you, or he’ll think I’m in some conspiracy. But you can tell Besetje anything I need to know.”

“
I’ll do that,” Rathe said.

“
Right.” DeVoss shook herself, much like one of her own dogs, and started down the row of pens. Naimi looked from one man to the other.

“
I don’t want to be in the middle.”

Eslingen saw Rathe make himself relax, finding a smile som
ewhere. “It’s all right, Besetje,” he said. “I promise I won’t do that.”

Naimi hunched her shoulders, looking suddenly very young.
“He thinks I’m spying for my cousins. He said he’d call the point.”

“
Well, you’re not, and he can’t,” Rathe said briskly. “DeVoss will protect you, and it’s a tougher man than Voillemin who’ll stand against her.”

Naimi shook her head, but some of the tension eased from her shoulders.
“He’s not a nice man. And he doesn’t like dogs.”

“
More fool he,” Eslingen said, with a glance at Sunflower, still circling and sniffing at the dirt as though he might find one final crumb. “We did have a question to ask you—”

“
I can’t,” Naimi said. “You heard him.”

“
Nothing to do with Poirel or any other business of his,” Rathe said quickly. “Just an odd story Philip heard.”

“
Oh?” Naimi cocked her head like a terrier.

“
I had a run-in with some prentices yesterday,” Eslingen said. “They’d cornered one of Texier’s boys, said he’d stolen some silver coins he had on him. But the odd thing was, the boy said he’d found them in an alley wall.”

“
I’ve heard that tale,” Naimi said.

“
And?” Rathe prompted, when she seemed disinclined to continue.

“
Well, I haven’t found any.”

“
Did you look?”

Naimi scuffed her feet.
“Didn’t seem to be any harm in looking. But the stars must not have been right.”

“
Where did you look?” Eslingen began, but the Fairs’ Point clock began to strike, and Naimi’s head lifted sharply.

“
Hare and Hound, I’m late. Meet me after the races, and I’ll tell you what I know, but I have to go now.”

“
I’ll buy you dinner,” Eslingen began, but she was already gone. He looked at Rathe. “Well.”

Rathe shrugged.
“We might as well see a few races.”

They made their way through the fairground to the main tracks, and Eslingen elbowed his way through the crowd until they could claim spots along the fence by the track where Naimi would be running her dogs. They watched a couple of races without partic
ular involvement, and it was only when Naimi appeared, carrying a basket badged with DeVoss’s mark, that Eslingen realized Rathe had been paying more attention to the crowds around them.

“
You’re good,” he said quietly, and surprised a short laugh from the other man.

“
I keep thinking about those pickpockets. I’m damned if I see how they’re doing it.”

Eslingen just managed to keep from checking his purse.
“They’re not working now, surely?”

“
A couple,” Rathe said. “Don’t turn, she’ll come into your line of sight in a minute, but—a very respectable-looking woman in a plain green gown and a big hat. She’s not someone I know, but she’s lifted two purses since we got here, passed them on to a couple of girls dressed like apprentices.”

And there she was, Eslingen thought, very respectable-looking indeed in her neatly tailored skirt and bodice, a broad hat shading her face. It would be hard to swear to her once she changed her clothes, and he nodded in appreciation.

“Much as I hate to say it, there’s never a pointsman when you need one,” Rathe said. “I don’t know what Claes is thinking, not having more than a handful on duty. I haven’t seen a single pointsman since we spoke with Voillemin.”

The woman in green had disappeared into the crowd, and Rathe sighed. Eslingen shook his head.
“You’d turn her in.”

“
I’d call the point myself, except it would cause more trouble than it’s worth,” Rathe said. “But I hate seeing them get away with it.”

Eslingen wasn’t sure what to say to that, remembering Rathe’s unlikely friendship with what seemed to be the entire Quentier clan—but then, he himself had been friends with people on the ot
her side of the half-dozen little wars he’d fought in. He supposed it wasn’t much different.

Rathe shook himself.
“Look, they’re loaded.”

Eslingen turned his attention back to the boxes just as the last boxholder raised his hand. The steward dropped her handkerchief, and the doors sprang open, releasing a tangle of dogs. Three of them collided on the first jump, and their part of the race dissolved into a tussle while the remainder of the dogs pelted on down the track in pursuit of the lure. A brown dog with a white belly ma
naged to force her way in first, but most of the attention was on the boxholders as they separated the struggling dogs, hurling insults to match the dogs’ frantic barking. Luckily the most aggressive one had been muzzled, and the others seemed unhurt, but Naimi was scowling as she collected her animal, her hands running quickly over his body. Eslingen saw her relax, and felt his own muscles loosen. It was too easy to grow fond of the little beasts.

Naimi had a dog in the next race, too. It went off without a hitch, though Naimi’s dog trailed the field. She didn’t seem too upset as she collected her, though, and Rathe touched his sleeve.

“How about a drink? I’m parched.”

And that way it wouldn’t be obvious that Naimi was meeting them, Eslingen thought, but nodded.
“This way.”

Several of the smaller cookshops had joined forces to rent one of the caravaners’ pavilions, and Eslingen quickly claimed a table as far from the stove as he could manage. It was nicely shaded, and a waiter hurried over to take their order, brought tea and a pint of beer. Rathe ordered the cold ordinary for them both, and Eslingen rested his elbows on the rickety table, stretching his back.

“Well, I say the woman’s got a point.” That was a man at the next table, his face flushed with beer or sun. “No true noble would drop her brother like that. It’s not natural.”

“
Are you joking?” The shabbily-dressed woman who sat opposite shook her head. “You can’t let a spendthrift ruin the family.”

“
Still.” That was a second man, dressed like a shopkeeper, an expensive hat on the table beside him. “It’s not right, and it’s done harm to the city. It seems to me that’s an indication that the judgement was flawed.”

“
Will t’Anthiame take it to the Queen, have you heard?” the first man asked, and the shopkeeper shrugged.

“
There’s talk she might. But who knows for sure?”

“
And in the meantime, the entire city’s in an uproar, women are cutting their losses, and the whole thing’s an ungodly mess,” the woman said. “There shouldn’t be nobles if they’re going to act like that.”

“
That’s leveller talk,” the shopkeeper said, with disapproval.

“
So?” The woman glared at him, and the first man shook his head.

“
It’s also careless. Come on, Sabadie has a dog in the seventh that I’d like to watch.”

They gathered themselves, the woman still grumbling, and hea
ded back toward the tracks. Rathe watched them go, frowning now himself, and Eslingen raised an eyebrow.

“
Trouble? I thought you didn’t think that talk was serious.”

“
I might owe you an apology,” Rathe said, and leaned back to let the waiter serve them. “The woman, that’s Janilho Slies. She writes for the broadsheets. And she’s popular at the University. If she’s pushing the matter—no offense, Philip, but she’s got more influence in the city than either your old colonel or her patronne.”

“
What’ll you do about it?” Eslingen reached for the loaf of bread, carved them each a thick slice, and snagged a chunk of hard sausage.

“
Tell Trijn, I suppose. Politics are her business, not mine.”

And Rathe was something of a leveller himself, Eslingen thought, though he knew better than to say it. Instead, he reached for the dish of flavored oil and concentrated on his meal.

Naimi appeared as they were finishing, trailing a nervous-looking girl behind her. Rathe looked up from his glass of wine and gestured for them both to sit. The girl jibed, but Naimi put a heavy hand on her shoulder and pushed her onto a stool.

“
We can’t stay,” she said, “I’ve got the afternoon vet to deal with, and Albe—this is Albe, she’s one of our apprentices—has to clean pens, but—I thought she should talk to you.”

Albe looked mutinous at that, but Naimi kicked her, not gently.

“You were asking about Colyer’s story. Albe knows about it.”

The girl looked from one to the other, her expression wary, and Rathe gave a careful smile.
“Anything you can tell us would be appreciated.”

“
I swore I wouldn’t say.” Albe looked at her shoes.

“
You swore you wouldn’t tell anyone who hasn’t to do with the dogs,” Naimi said. “Lieutenant vaan Esling owns Sunflower, and Nico’s his leman, so that’s all right.”

Eslingen bit back a comment—it didn’t seem quite so obvious to him—but Albe sighed.
“I did promise.”

“
We already know the basics, I think,” Rathe said, and Eslingen nodded.

“
There’s an alley behind Mama Moon’s,” he said. “On the side away from the bower?”

He waited, and Albe nodded reluctantly.

“And if you walk there under the right stars, the walls weep silver,” he went on. “That’s what Colyer said.”

“
Yes.”

“
Have you done it?” Eslingen asked, and she nodded again.