‘This is our standard curriculum for those young people who will be venturing into their own business or enterprise,’ said Ader. ‘I think two subjects would be superfluous in your case. You will attend the other ten lessons, starting with number eight, as that is about to begin, and work your way through each day. Each room in the Academy has a name; you will find the location of each lesson in this list, and the name of each instructor. Your immediate class is in the Three Window Room. Take the southwest stair there down two floors, walk twenty paces along the hallway and the door will be on your left, with a nameplate. After your lesson today, I suggest you walk around and learn the names and locations of all the rooms; there are only nineteen.’

Clariel took the paper, running her eyes quickly down the list of lessons. The two that had been crossed out were ‘Keeping a Count of Monies, the Twice-Written Method’ and ‘The Calculation of the Cost of Making Stuff and the Setting of Prices Thereof’, both familiar to her from her work with her father. The remaining ten were:

On the Writing of Letters, Reports, Epistles, Writs, Bills and Such

The Proper Obtainment, Direction and Discontinuance or Severance of Servants, Apprentices and Partners-in-Business

Music and Dancing, Courtly and Otherwise

The Role of Each Person in Households, Great to Small

The High, Middle and Low Guilds and Great Companies of Belisaere

The Direction of Feasts, Celebrations, Festivals and Fairs

Geographical Understanding and the Flow of Trade

The Serving of Tea

Matters of Law, Royal, City and Guild

The Exercise of the Body, Martial and Merely Aesthetic

‘The Serving of Tea?’ asked Clariel. She knew what tea was – a new herbal drink that had been introduced to the Kingdom from somewhere far off five or six years before, though she had never drunk it herself. There was even a teahouse in Estwael that had been open a year with little sign of it becoming a permanent fixture. ‘How can that be helpful to anyone?’

‘Go and find out,’ said Mistress Ader. ‘I shall see you again in due course, to discuss your progress. You may go.’

Clariel hesitated, then bowed and turned around, heading for the southwest staircase. She had just taken her first step down when Ader called after her.

‘Lady Clariel. One more thing.’

Clariel looked back from the top of the stairs.

‘I understand you are to study Charter Magic. It is a good thing for one of your heritage to study Charter Magic, as ignorance of it may prove fatal. Please pass on a message from me to Magister Kargrin when you see him this afternoon. Tell him I said, “None have yet passed through, but I shall keep watch.”’

‘None have yet passed through, but I shall keep watch,’ repeated Clariel. ‘What does that mean?’