Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
“Jasper, help me with this trunk,” Ulric said. They hauled it over.
“This is a woodworking cairn and a textile cairn,” Patty whispered as she ran her fingers over the top of the trunk. “Very well made, this trunk. Their leader is new to the job. He left his birth cairn, a middle-class production cairn specializing in smelly perfumes. I am not a fan of them. Stinky stuff, popular with people suffering from body odor. Wise move, walking away from that. I’ve heard he is very odd, but he seems stable enough. Smart.”
Austin looked over with interest as I pinched the heavy bronze clasp on the trunk to pop the lock free.
“That part is well made,” I said.
“Hmm. Maybe they have some good metal workers, too,” Patty said. “I’ll have to check…”
After lifting the lid, I peered at a beautifully patterned…something…in an explosion of muted colors that all seemed to work together. It was the kind of thing that could probably blend into any area and accent any color palette. Then again, I wasn’t great at interior design. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I liked the thing. But I didn’t hate it, either…
“I’m not sure if I like it or hate it,” Patty said, echoing my unspoken sentiments.
After taking it out, I found it to be a finely crafted rug that seemed durable but expensive. In my experience, that wasn’t a common combination.
“I’m liking it more and more,” Patty said, taking it from me with a furrowed brow. “Or am I? Well, the seam work is very good, I know that much.”
Austin leaned back and draped his arm across the back of the couch. “Understood.”
“Still not sure how I feel about this rug!” Patty said in annoyance.
The next group had more status, and the groups after had more still. Most items weren’t personal, and those that were tended to be only vaguely so. Only a couple of the gifts set off Sebastian and Niamh’s warning bells, resulting in another flurry of note taking, probably to jot down security ideas. Patty was set off by different items, mainly those that hinted at or outright acknowledged my past Jane status. We still didn’t know if that was an intended slight.
Finally, we came to the big dogs—the cairns that had wealth and power and the ability to splash both around.
“I thought you said there were four big cairns.” I surveyed the solitary, smallish white box sitting in front of me on the coffee table.
“Four cairns to rule them all,” Nessa murmured softly, once again tapping on the keyboard.
“Four, yes.” Patty sat beside me, back from reorganizing the opened packages. “The rest of the gifts were too big to bring inside. Now, these four have it all, including exceptional leadership and generations-long stability. Each has several townships within their territory, like the situation Austin Steele is starting to create. They work with anywhere between none to four or so production cairns who make exceptional products. In short, they are the cream. For now, we are aiming to get just one of these cairns on your side. We can build from there.” She wiped her brow with her middle finger. “If you can keep them in line, of course.”
“We can keep them in line,” Austin growled.
Patty didn’t comment. I doubted she believed him. But then, she hadn’t seen Austin in action.
“Right.” I sat forward and waited while Nathanial lifted the box and moved it closer to me. “Let’s see what the best of the best thought to send.”
I pulled off the lid to find a black velvet case on the inside.
“Jewelry,” Nessa said, eyes on the prize. “I bet it’s jewelry.”
I turned the box over to free the velvet case, and the name of the cairn flashed up at me from the bottom.
“Gimerel,” I said as the black box shimmied out onto my palm.
“Got it,” Nessa said, squinting at her screen, probably to get the cairn’s stats.
The length of the box suggested a bracelet, and the delicately rounded corners and little gold hinges indicated it was a good one.
“Here goes nothin’.” I tipped the cover back.
“Oh my word,” Patty said quietly, her hand drifting to her chest. “Is that what I think it is?”
“What? What do you think it is?” Nessa stood to get a better look, nearly dumping the laptop onto the floor. Sebastian quickly grabbed it from her. “I can’t see!”
Light danced off the multi-gem bracelet delicately strapped within the velvet. Rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, all different cuts and set seemingly at random, ran along its length. Round-cut diamonds pooled around the gems like a stream, and the bracelet was a robust inch wide.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, looking a little closer. “But it’s nothing compared to what Ivy House has lying around. Monetary-wise, I mean. Assuming they are going for a flagrant display of wealth.”
“How do you mean?” Sebastian asked, at the helm with the computer now, braced to take notes.