“Eh, ah,” said the merchant, stumbling over his tongue. Avisha was sure he had never had such a cold threat delivered so prettily. “I am sure my factor made a mistake, verea. I’ll speak to her at once.”

His glance toward the clerk would have scalded skin. And, indeed, Avisha could smell, from the kitchens, that the plucked chickens had been dumped into a pot of boiling water.

“You may speak to my factor in the office on your way out,” said Mai kindly.

“That would be the young man, who once was Master Feden’s factor?”

“He serves our house. Was there something you wanted to say, ver?”

“Neh, neh. We’ll be on our way.”

They sketched the formal farewells.

“I’m hungry,” said Mai once they were gone. “I’ll take cake and tea in the pavilion, and interview more women.”

“Perhaps you should rest, Mistress,” said Priya.

“I’m not tired. Just so hungry! I feel I ought to have some marriages arranged now that the settlement is rising in the Barrens.” As she rose, she turned a warm gaze on Avisha. “What about you, Vish?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Avisha answered as her gaze skipped to the curtained entrance where Keshad might, if he left the office to consult the mistress, walk in at any moment. But Mai beckoned, so she followed her into the large garden where they sat on benches beneath the repainted pavilion and laughed and chattered as they ate bean curd buns so sweet Avisha could not finish even one while Mai devoured two without apparently noticing that she had done so.

A pair of girls watched over a dozen small children, the offspring of women Mai had hired to work in the compound. Their babble lightened an otherwise cloudy day as they, Zianna among them, splashed in the long pools or played throwing-sticks on the stones. Chief Tuvi stood on the porch that ran the width of the garden. Mostly he scanned the garden, the walls, Mai, her attendants, but at intervals he paused to watch the children’s play with a smile.

Jerad was slumped on a bench beneath the branches of a butternut tree. He slouched over to the pavilion and waited at the base of the steps.

“What is it, Jer?” Avisha asked.

“I want to go home.”

This ridiculous statement embarrassed her. “Don’t be ungrateful,” she said in a low voice, leaning down toward him. “We’re fortunate to have been shown so much favor.”

“You just like the pretty silk and the soldiers smiling at you. You don’t care about Papa at all anymore, do you?”

“How dare you!” That Mai should overhear this only made it worse. She raised a hand, threatening a slap.

“Jerad,” said Mai. “I’m going to cut the rest of the buns into pieces. Can you take them around and see that every child gets one? You’ll have to make sure the greedy ones don’t take more than one. They’ll try. Especially that little Nanash. He’s quite a sneak.”