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"Don't look," the soldier told her, which was good advice even if she was supposed to be the one who had cleaned up Innis's blood

They entered the silversh everybody looked up when the two of the as though she was receiving an audience: "The maid, Brinna, is back"

Pendaran's ht, had ever been that pleased to see her when she looked like herself "Hello," he said, i away from the other two men

Nola was totally aware of her appearance Brinna was a very attractive young woman, and Nola was sure that accounted for the considerate actencion she was getting, first froht, with hair as lirass, the other one would have said, "Came on, then, snap out of it," and this one wouldn't be so quick to ser opn, and Nola guessed Galvin and Kirwyn and Alan had been in theto take an inventory, to determine if any of che silver had been stolen Even noyn and Alan continued to debate whether the wo or if it had been sold or if Master Innis had h doing that, she had to admit, and Galvin would have been sincerely relieved to see anyone

"Well, it's about time," Kirwyn said to her "Did you feel you had all day to loiter about thefor you?" Heto face hih, and step no further" gesture

Kiras used to more respect He stopped, but scowled at Galvin's back

Nola realized she was clinging to the soldier's arht to a child, "Truly, I very rarely bite"

She forced herself to s, "Nor do I Usually"

His s the situation too serious for levity: talking to a woman who had discovered her employer only mo he had kind eyes Were they? Hard to tell They were gray and his hair - Nola had a tendency to notice hair - dark brown He was probably used to wo a fuss over hih he looked twice Galvin's age and not quite so clean

As though to explain to Galvin why she was so apprehensive, the soldier said, "I gave Brinna quite a start in the kitchen For a ht I was the killer coone froeant Halig bear a resemblance to theNow she wouldn't have to ask, "What did you say your naain?" and hope that he had introduced hi innis's killer"No," Nola said, for Kiras younger, shorter, and ser and darker than Halig's, which could alet?"

Nola realized her mistake at once Brinna had said Galvin was full of questions "Well, not very close," she admitted How could she co herself? Even pretending she was Brinna didn't work What could she say? I sayn kill his father, only I didn't say anything about it last night, and I stayed in the house overnight because I knew that Kirwyn hadn't seenfor you to come so that I could tell all to you, except I didn't tell anybody else because I didn't want Kirwyn to have a chance to run away or to kill me, and then once you DID coet away fro Galvinto have , but he didn't look that gullible And ould happen when she left and the real Brinna ca it at all?

"But," Galvin proh to see he didn't look like Halig?"

Nola considered, then decided that couldn't get her into trouble "Yes," she said

And as that expression chat flickered across his face? Was he ahtening? He was definitely waiting for her to saypeople in the market? It would be better for everyone, later on, if their storiesherself or Brinna into trouble, to get Galvin to take notice of Kirwyn She said, "I saw hi away"

She caught the quick flicker of surprise in Galvin's eyes He'd been paying attention before, but noas scrutinizing her She'd just said so Then it came to her: This was more than he expected She remembered when she had looked into the bespelled puddle and she had heard Galvin calking to Alan Galvin had asked whether Alan and Brinna opened the door leading into Innis's bedrooether And Alan had said yes They would have seen the sa what he'd said, what Brinna had said earlier and was now still saying in theat all? Alan, she decided, looked surprised by her statement She looked back at Galvin and realized that he'd seen her glance away from him He didn't look over his shoulder, but surely he knehere everybody was standing

She said, "I just saw the back of his head" Even that could be tooimpression of brown hair, maybe a smaller build" What if they didn't suspect Kirwyn? What if they were so convinced it was an intruder that they found someone else, some poor innocent, whoIc happened so fast and the light wasn't good And I could see Master Innis on the floor, dead, and I was frightened, and distressed, and" She was babbling again She finished "Confused"

Galvin asked, "Could you tell he was dead right away, or did you need to check?"

What in the world was he asking? And as the right answer? "Ihopedhe wasn't"

Which they both realized wasn't an answer

Behind Galvin, Alan said, "I checked to see if he was breathing He was not"

It would help, Nola thought, if she could guess rong, for so

Kirwyn said, "He was definitely dead by the ti a

"And the silver?" Galvin asked her

That she had learned in the market "Scattered on the bed and floor," she answered confidently

Kirwyn added, "Just as we've all told you before"

Galvin ignored hi - besides the money?"

And that she didn't know, She hoped he hadn't asked Brinna the sa was taken," she said