“Be boring,” she advised him. “The novelty of laughing at the country bumpkin will soon wear off, as long as you don’t make yourself into entertainment. Blank looks instead of reactions, and asking ‘Pardon, could you explain?’ They’ll soon get weary of making the explanations. And go into the fine details of horse breeding as often as possible.”

He leaned down from the saddle and kissed her forehead. “My wise counselor,” he said. “Hakkon would advise me to break heads.”

“I wouldn’t do that . . .” She pursed her lips. “However, if you’re given the opportunity, it wouldn’t come amiss if you could demonstrate, harmlessly, what a good shot you are.”

That pulled him up short for a moment, but he certainly saw the wisdom of the advice. He was a good shot with the Spitter; he was a good shot with anything, just due to practice, but being known as a good shot with the Spitter might keep him out of duels. “I’ll do that,” he agreed. “And I’ll be back as soon as I’m able.”

It was at moments like this that he was glad that his relationship with Isla was not a romantic one. She was able to see him off with equanimity; he was able to leave without desperately wondering if she would be all right. They trusted each other’s competence, and at this moment, that was more important than all the love-letters in the world.

As the cavalcade rode off, he checked the inside-pocket of his coat to make sure he had transferred the sealed orders to it when he had changed. The crackle of parchment reassured him.

If this was not an auspicious start, at least it was not an inauspicious one.

The Land-Gate at the manor village was usually not much in use, since most traffic went by canal, so he was surprised to see that there was a small group waiting at it as they rode up. He was even more surprised to see that the group was headed by Lord Merrin. His already sour mood was further soured by seeing that obsequious toady’s face beneath a plumed hat.

“Ah, Valdemar, I thought you would probably be embarking at some extremely unfashionable hour!” Merrin brayed at him, laughing at his own feeble attempts at humor. “And here you are! We’ll be coming with you at the Emperor’s request.”