Gabrielle and the Rebels

At the constabulary, the scrawny clerk who questions me seems to have drawn his own conclusions.

“I’ll mark the time of death as undetermined.” He dips his quill in an ink pot. “As well as the cause.”

“The cause was murder.” I unpin and remove my hat, then fan myself with it. “My father was stabbed.”

“And robbed. Happens all the time.” The clerk scratches a word on the ledger in front of him.

I look to the window. Outside, Minx and Ghost are tied to a post. Papa’s body is still draped across Ghost’s back. The Garland’s stable lad has vanished.

Will Red Beard return with any information? The Governor hasn’t even sent a servant to advise me. Has the workhouse fire distracted him as it has everyone else?

“Funny the thief didn’t take the horse,” the clerk remarks.

What did Rolf say to Papa?

“Those are fine horses, and there are scoundrels aplenty in this city.”

Rolf. Yes.

Could my father’s former brother-in-arms have a hand in this? Is fear of Rolf the reason the tavern owner wouldn’t tell the truth?

“It wasn’t thieves,” I say.

The clerk mops his brow with a grubby handkerchief.

Did he even hear me?

“We encountered an acquaintance of my father’s yesterday.” I pull my chair closer to the clerk’s untidy desk and set down my hat. “He knew where we were staying, and he wanted to meet my father for a drink. His name was Rolf.”

“Rolf Von Haugen?” The clerk sets down his quill, and his lower lip quivers. “It’s unlikely he would have anything to do with it. He’s far too busy with the Governor’s business.”

“My father served the Duke during the War.” I raise my voice since the clerk refuses to look me in the eye. “Lord March was trained to fight. His killer must have been someone he knew.”

Someone who wanted the Duke’s ring.

Minx neighs, and my attention is drawn back to the window. A woman in a white bonnet plucks at the twine binding Papa’s body. Meanwhile, her gaunt companion clasps his hands behind his back and glances apprehensively over his shoulder.

What do these people want?

Ghost jerks his head and sidles away from the woman. Minx neighs again.

I rise and lean on the window sill. “Who are those people?”

“Just the Levers.” The clerk seems relieved by the interruption. “Since our business is concluded, milady, I’ll ask you to leave.”

“Since when is it concluded?” I rap on the window to get the woman’s attention.

She glares at me and makes a crude gesture. I don’t know what it means, but I know I don’t like it.

I fling open the door and stride into the yard. “Get away from them!”

The woman has beady eyes and a sharp nose, very much like a rat’s. “How much?” she asks.

I step between her and Ghost. “These horses aren’t for sale!”

“I don’t want to buy them,” she states. “How much for the body?”