Hellrien offered herself a pint of ale and moved over to the window. She had stayed in her room the whole day, and it had been a hellish experience. Time and time again she had tried to remember the expression on Lily’s face when she had helper her up. She would have wanted to remember a hint of gratitude – as gaining Lily’s trust and confidence was part of the job – but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t remember anything but a coolly appraising look. Had Lily fell for the trick, or had the act been too obvious?
Hellrien had purposely stayed out of the tavern. There was a chance that Linda Bulrush remembered her remark about being an ’old friend’ of Lily’s from Bree and she might have blurted it out immediately, which would have aroused Lily’s suspicions. She regretted her stupid lie now. Well, maybe she had forgotten all about it now. At least Hellrien hoped so.
Hellrien stopped by the window. As she was standing there Lily appeared on the street accompanied by the same little man Hellrien had seen with her yesterday too. He took Lily by her arm and opened the tavern door for her before they both disappeared inside. This made Hellrien conclude that Lily wasn’t living in the Soot & Stain. But who was the little fellow? He seemed a bit too old for a boyfriend, and there sure wasn’t room for another ’manager’ in Linda Bulrush’s establishment. A customer, perhaps? A rich, lonely fellow willing to pay for someone to pretend to be his girlfriend for a week? Hellrien had known a couple of guys like that.
A bird landed on the windowsill as Hellrien was still standing there. It was a black raven, with a pouch tied to it’s left leg. Hellrien opened the pouch, took the letter and unfolded it as the bird flew away. It was from Fiontann, of course.
Hm, Hellrien pondered. Seyton Redweed heading this way. And Fion is sending Ingrandor too. Not much time for her to work on Lily.
Hellrien crumpled the letter and touched it with a burning match. After that she started to watch the traffic on the street again. She spotted a familiar figure riding through the gate and then disappearing behind the corner of the stalls to the market square, heading for the stables. A few moments later the figure reappeared briefly, only to disappear into the shadows of a side alley. Ingrandor had arrived.
It was beginning to grow dusky already. Swearing, Hellrien strapped her dagger against her left inner thigh and went outside. She ate supper in the shopping district and had to drink a lot of ale to wash down the salty taste.
She could still taste it as she entered the tavern. The place was just as crammed and smoky as yesterday. Hellrien noticed Linda Bulrush craning her neck to her direction. She exchanged a few quick words with one of her girls, then took off her apron and came out from behind the bar.
Here we go! Hellrien mused with satisfaction.
”Miss”, Linda said softly as she approached Hellrien. ”You took off so quickly last night that Lily had no time to thank you at all. She would like to talk to you in her room upstairs. Would you be so kind and follow me?”
Hellrien nodded and noticed one of the young bucks in the tavern watching curiously after her.
Linda rapped on the door lightly, opened it and showed Hellrien in.
Hellrien stopped in front of the door. It closed behind her.
Lily got up from the messy bed and approached Hellrien with her hand stretched out. The small, gray-haired man was sitting on a chair by the window.
”Good evening”, Lily said in a pleasant, soft voice. ”Forgive me for having you brought up here like this, but I wanted to thank you properly. My name is Lily Honesty.”
”Helen. Helen Reed.”
”And this here is Bill Toadflax – a good friend of mine.”
Mr. Toadflax stood up to perform a stiff bow.
”May I offer you a drink, Miss Helen?”
”Thank you.”
”Wine alright?”
”Thank you.”
Hellrien sat on the bed next to the woman as the only chair in the small room was already occupied. She watched the long, slender arm and brown, manicured hand filling an ornate goblet. Judging by the color of the skin of her face and hands Lily liked spending a lot of time in the sun. As she handed the goblet to Hellrien their eyes met again. There was something almost unnerving about Lily, contradictions that were hard to grasp from the first glance. It was almost like she had many different personalities in one body, and Hellrien had to take her time to catalogue all the details behind a person who was something completely different from what could be surmised from the first impression. Her hair was very blond, almost white, and in contrast her eyes were dark, deep brown with thick black lashes. She had a big mouth and small, even, white teeth. Her neck was slender but her shoulders were wide, her breasts were full and firm but her hips were narrow.
”You took quite a risk, Miss Helen”, the woman said.
Hellrien shrugged without saying anything and looked around. The room was small and the furnishings modest and cheap, but somebody had made a good effort to make it look more elegant by decorating it with heavy vases and oil paintings with gilded frames. The decor made Hellrien feel slightly claustrophobic. She tasted her wine. It was excellent.
”I was sure he would beat you to a pulp with his club”, Mr. Toadflax creaked in his dry voice. ”You showed real bravery there. And skill too.”
The words sounded interrogative, but Hellrien ignored it. Instead she fixed her attention back to the woman. ”Did you know him, Miss Lily? The attacker?”
”No”, she said – looking quite serious. ”Nobody did. And I have never ripped off a customer here, I’m quite sure of that. The whole business was odd – really odd.”
”Maybe he confused you with someone else”, Hellrien suggested, taking another sip of wine from her goblet. She tried intentionally to give out the impression of indifference, though she felt anything but. She felt like a worm in a hook under Lily’s probing gaze.
”Miss Bulrush said you had told her that you were an old friend of mine from Bree”, Lily said suddenly. ”But I have to admit that I don’t remember you at all.”
Hellrien felt her ears burning. She felt like an idiot – like a bad actress who’s intentions had been guessed. Now she really regretted her stupid lies and crude plotting. She truly hadn’t thought ahead at all. She had dug a hole and stepped right into it herself, and now all she could do was to try and climb out of it – with her intended prey sitting right on the edge and staring at her with the attentive look of a sabertooth cat.
Hellrien managed to give a little laugh. ”Oh, I’m sorry about that, Miss Lily”, she squirmed. ”I was exaggerating a little. But I did meet you once, in the Prancing Pony.” It was a safe bet. Everyone always ended up in the Pony sooner or later.
”Oh really?”
”Really. I’m in the trade, see, and I and some of my friends happened to sit at the same table with you and your friends, just a few weeks ago. I overheard you mentioning Trestlebridge, that you were thinking of going there. And as I was getting fed up with Bree I just decided one day to come here myself and look you up – see if I could get a referral from you to Miss Bulrush.”
”I see.” The woman leaned backwards on her hands and looked at Hellrien incredulously. ”Still, I find it odd that I don’t remember you at all. I admit that I meet a lot of people and forget most of their names instantly, but I have a good memory for faces, and yours is not easy to forget.” She stared at Hellrien for a moment longer and then shrugged. ”But I suppose it’s possible”, she amended. ”Business in Bree really that rough these days, huh?”
”Sort of. I’ve been thinking of moving out for a long time. It can get a little difficult in Bree. At least on paydays”, she added with a smile.
Lily took note of the blue-white, coldly bestial shine of Hellrien’s teeth. There was something disturbing in that woman’s strong, large body and robust, scarred face – almost repulsive.
”So are you settling down here then?” Lily asked.
”At least for a while. I’m not ready to start working just yet. I have a little money saved, and I want to blow it all on ale and wine before I sign up with miss Bulrush.” She smiled. ”That’s what brought me into the trade in the first place. Fondness for drink, and inability to think past tomorrow.” Now she was being almost truthful.
”I have a little cabin down by the river where I live when I’m not working”, Lily said. ”You’re welcome to stay as my guest until you get settled.”
”Out of the question! I’m used to paying my own upkeep. It’s easier to maintain friendships that way”, Hellrien responded, again flashing her frugal, aloof semi-smile.
”I don’t doubt that, Miss Helen. I just wanted to ask you to be my guest – as a meager thank you for risking your life to save mine.”
”Now you’re being too dramatic”, Hellrien replied. ”Had the man been wielding a sword, I wouldn’t have moved an inch.”
”I doubt that”, Lily mused merrily. But her eyes were not smiling. Hellrien knew that she was still suspicious of her story, but was it at least plausible? Or had she said something that had immediately outed her as a fraud without a doubt?
”I’m sure you will find no problem at all to find employment from Miss Bulrush, but of course I will put in a good word for you should it be required”, Lily said, raising her goblet again.
”Thank you”, Hellrien replied. ”Trestlebridge does seem like a peaceful town.”
”Don’t let first impressions fool you”, Lily said. ”If by ’peaceful’ you mean more safe to practice the business, then yes. The incidents like last night are practically unheard of here, and Linda will put troublemakers into their rightful place right quick. And you will be tolerated, as long as you don’t try to ply your trade anywhere out of the Soot & Stain. You will not make friends with the womenfolk outside the girls working here though.”
Lily laughed softly and coquettishly, which made Hellrien smile to herself. A clever girl, with nothing pointing out to a suspicious past in her demeanor.
Hellrien emptied her goblet fast and stood up. Lily looked at her, almost startled. ”Must you go already?”
”I thought to have a couple of quick pints of ale downstairs”, Hellrien said, procrastinating. For a moment she thought she had gone too far, but then she noticed a trace of a smile deep in the woman’s eyes.
”All right, Miss Helen. There’s one thing you can be sure of in this house: Linda doesn’t water down the drinks.”
’Oh really now?’ was on the tip of Hellrien’s tongue, but she settled for a smile and a small curtsy. ”It was nice meeting you, Miss Lily, Mr. Toadflax…”
There was that stiff bow again, and Toadflax opened the door for Hellrien.
Lily sat still on the bed and stared expressionlessly at the closed door.
