Wrenmarsh’s business at the Fair wasn’t concluded for another two days, which gave her plenty of time to get study assignments from her teachers and make up somewhat more than a pack to take with her. She, Perry, and Larral, with Rolan carrying their packs for them, walked down into the city to the half-dismantled Fair on that third morning to find Wrenmarsh, his three now empty wagons, his six children, and the sheepdog waiting for them, all ready to go. The farmer and his children, the youngest of whom was Perry’s age, greeted Rolan like an old friend when they saw him and fed him two beautiful apples before everyone decided who was riding with whom and the wagons departed. Perry, Larral, and Abi all rode in the third wagon with the youngest of the six children driving.

“Do you all work with my father?” Abi asked, when they were safely away from prying ears.

“Oh, aye,” the lad said cheerfully. “Not that what any’un but Pa’s done anythin’ special. We mostly jist keep ear t’ground and eyes lookin’ fer anythin’ that might be troublesome.” He elbowed Perry, who was on the driver’s seat beside him. “An’ sometime now an’ agin, it’ll be this layabout we’ll be talkin’ to.”

Perry grinned and elbowed back. “Just no more traveler’s tales about goat-sucking monsters.”

The boy shook his head so his blond hair flopped into his eyes. “No foolin’ you, city boy,” he said ruefully.

Abi just kept quiet and let the two of them banter on. It seemed that not only did Perry know Rafi Wrenmarsh very well, but that the Wrenmarshes were the very proud owners of two of the mastiffs he’d brought back from the Pelagiris Forest—the very last two he’d given away before returning to Haven. By sitting quietly on her pack in the wagon bed, she learned pretty much everything she would have asked without needing to go to the effort of breaking into their conversation.

She learned, for instance, that she and Perry would be dropped off at Asterleigh Manor on the way to the Wrenmarsh farm and that Lady Asterleigh would be expecting them, thanks to a message sent yesterday via another of the freeholders from the area. She learned that Lady Asterleigh had a very sound plan regarding the missing inheritance should it be found. The Home Farm was not large enough to be anything more than self-supporting, but by converting almost all of the arable land to herbs, she should be able to make a profit, since the farm was near enough to Haven to permit regular deliveries the year around of either fresh or dried herbs.