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The landlady nodded politely, but he could tell she didn’t care. Still, he hoped she’d keep this story in the back of her mind if anyone asked why the new tenant hadn’t moved in. “Did you want to pay one month in advance, or two?”
Brandon pretended to debate. “Well, if I don’t move in right away, it seems like a waste to—but, you know what? I’m a man who likes some certainty in his life. I’ll pay the two months in advance.”
“Excellent,” she said. “Let’s go down to my office and I’ll give you a key.”
So Brandon was in a cheerful mood when he made his way back to the mansion that evening. He’d hung the key on a cord around his neck, and it lay against his chest, just below his chazissa. Which seemed fitting, as he had to think Zessaya was overseeing this mad venture.
Had tohopeshe was.
He tried not to look too pleased with himself as he strolled through the door. That was the sort of thing Finley always noticed, and then she’d pester him with questions about how he’d spent his day. He didn’t have any convincing lies ready.
But although Finley was in the atrium when he stepped inside, she didn’t appear to have any attention to spare for Brandon. She was sitting at the wrought iron table, closely interrogating a temple guard whom Brandon had never seen before. Both of them looked over when he walked in.
“And this is Brandon,” Finley said, as if she was in the middle of listing all the inhabitants of the house. “Brandon, this is Linnet. She’s replacing Nadder as of today.”
Brandon had completely forgotten Nadder’s tenure was almost up, and he felt a clutch of terror. Nadder was efficient and watchful, so Brandon had always known they would have to move carefully to avoid catching his attention—but at least he understood how Nadder’s mind worked. Brandon had no idea how smart, how curious, how observant this new person was. How might her arrival derail their escape plans?
“Hello,” he said, coming over to join them. He hoped his face looked friendly instead of stricken. “When did you get here?”
Linnet didn’t bother to stand to greet him, but she tipped her face up to look at him. From her hair and skin, he guessed that she had a fair amount of bastard Cordelano blood in her. “Hello,” she replied coolly. “About an hour ago.”
“Nadder was already packed,” Finley said with a laugh. “I think he was gone five minutes after Linnet walked in.”
“I never had the feeling this was his favorite posting,” Brandon said.
Finley snorted. “It’s not mine, either. But I don’t have that much longer to go.”
That was something else Brandon kept forgetting. He didn’t have limitless amounts of time to get Villette out of here. If he didn’t free her before his assignment was over, he’d never see her again.
He couldn’t think about that right now. He kept his attention on Linnet, still trying to make a quick assessment. Her face was impassive, her eyes guarded. Either she was the kind of person who didn’t like to give away what she was thinking, or she was trying to hide nervousness behind an aloof mask. “So what kinds of assignments have you been on before?” he asked.
“I just spent a year as part of the guard for the high divine,” she said.
Brandon raised his eyebrows. That was an elite appointment, usually a mark of favor. Had she committed some infraction that had brought her to this lower post? She must have read his expression, because she added in a cool voice, “All the guards in his detail are rotated out every year or so. Just to keep them fresh.”
“She probably has the best stories,” Finley said enviously.
Linnet glanced at her. “Most of them I can’t repeat.”
Finley always ignored any attempt to put her in her place. “But some of them you can. You can tell us over dinner.”
Linnet abruptly rose to her feet. She was shorter than Brandon by about an inch, with a solid, muscular build. He had to guess she had strength and stamina in her wiry arms. “I’m going to sleep for a couple of hours so I’m fresh for my shift tonight.”
“Oh, I’ll work overnight,” Brandon said. “I prefer to.”
But Finley was shaking her head. “New guard always pulls night watch. You know the rule.”
“It’s not like anyone cares if we rearrange the schedule to suit ourselves.”
“I understood that the night shift was my duty, and I’m prepared to serve it,” Linnet said. And without another word, she headed down the hallway toward the room that used to be Nadder’s.
Brandon stared after her, filled with a complex mix of irritation, indecision, and worry. She was a complication. He didn’t know how to factor her in. “Well,she’snot very friendly,” he observed.
“The women never are, not at first,” Finley said. “Always so intent on proving to everyone that they’re as tough as the men.”
He looked back at her. “You’re not like that.”
She grinned. “That’s because IknowI’m good. I don’t have to prove anything.”
