“As I was saying,” Waleran continued, “then he slipped into our carriage and relieved my wife of her jewelry as well. It was all done very kindly and quickly. It was over before I even realized that being robbed had quite been the highlight of my day.”

“I don’t even have words for you.” Lady Margery rolled her eyes and turned to the window.

“Did I mention what he said when he left me?”

“Who?” Arable asked.

“The gentleman thief. He said, ‘Now I’m going to smell of lilacs all day.’ My wife drowns herself in lilac oil, you see, I’m sure you can smell it already.”

Arable gave a quick sniff of the room, and had to admit it had a pleasant fragrance.

“I have no idea how she survives it, personally. When the thief opened the door to our carriage I would have given him half my coinpurse just for the welcome breath of air. My wife no longer needs air to breathe, you see, her body is fueled solely on my misfortune.”

“What was that, dear?” Lady Margery asked idly from the window. “I’m sorry, I was distracted by something more interesting, perhaps a hangnail or some dry skin. Do talk at me again, would you?”

Arable forgot herself for a moment and laughed at this, which she immediately regretted. She felt the skin tug at her cheeks, the sharp quick scratch that meant she had torn one of her wounds open. Reaching up quickly, she found a spot of blood on her fingertips. She held her face tightly, pushing her skin back together as if it were clay that might heal itself again.

You can’t laugh, she told herself, but the words dug far deeper. That’s what Jon Bassett took from you. Your very ability to enjoy things.

The earl and his wife seemed oblivious to her pain. “Is the Sheriff ready to see me?” Waleran asked, fretting at his own clothes. “I sent word ahead of my arrival, and have urgent news. Is he indisposed?”

“He regrets he cannot see you until the morning,” Arable stammered, keen on disappearing. The earl reacted as if she were personally denying him, but then settled himself into a polite smile.

“It is urgent,” he said. “But I understand the day has grown late. Thank you.”

She forgot to curtsy a goodbye as she grabbed at the door to leave. One glance backward, accidental, brought her a startling glimpse of Lady Margery watching her departure, her face full of exacting scrutiny.