Midnight Jewel (The Glittering Court #2)(30)

“I spoke to Mister Kent and Mister Robertson today. Mister Kent’s a paper merchant. He’s been in Adoria for a while.” I tried to stick to facts and edit out any personal opinions that weren’t based on solid evidence. “Mister Robertson’s never been there. He’s pretty dismissive of anyone who’s not of Osfridian descent. Icori and Lorandians. Balanquans. And me, for that matter.”

Grant stayed silent, his eyes on the horizon.

“Mister Robertson doesn’t have anything established in Adoria yet, but he’s certain he’ll make his fortune there,” I continued. “Mister Kent is doing well, but some of his caravans have been raided by pirates, so he’s looking to hire extra security. I struck up conversation with them by ‘accidentally’ dropping my bracelet nearby and claiming the clasp was broken. I told them it was my grandmother’s and that we’d been minor nobility before the revolution drove us out. Mister Kent retrieved it for me and gave me the name of a jeweler in Cape Triumph. Oh. And he also offered me a discount on paper.”

When I fell into silence, Grant turned back to me. “That’s it?”

“That’s a lot.”

“Discount paper and a jeweler? Tell me how that could be useful.” I knew the tone in his voice. This was a test too.

“A jeweler will have contact with wealthy citizens. Walking in with a referral is less suspicious than coming in off the street and fishing for information. And if I ever need to talk to Mister Kent again, I’ve got easy openings. I can say I forgot the jeweler’s name. Or I can come to buy the paper.”

“That may be true.” From Grant, that was high praise. “But if you were really charming, you’d have gotten the paper for free. You didn’t flirt.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because you never flirt. Do you know how?”

“You never flirt either.”

“I don’t need to.”

“Maybe you would’ve recruited Adelaide if you’d flirted with her instead of putting on all your stiff-suited politeness.”

He made a grunt of amusement. “I doubt it. She’s too focused on a larger prize to have her head turned by me.”

“Maybe you’re just no good at it.” He dished out so much critique that it was nice to jab back.

“Your bit about being minor nobility is good. Most Osfridians only think of Sirminicans as the poor refugees they see out in the streets. But Sirminica has an iconic past—more so than Osfrid, really. You’re the descendants of Ruva, the civilization that brought peace and culture to Evaria. Remind your marks about that. And your actual suitors.”

“You’re dodging my question.”

“Because you’re not asking the right one. Why is Kent hiring security? It’s important.”

His avoidance irritated me, but after a moment, I recognized what he was hinting at. “Because pirates are raiding his caravans . . . that’s weird, isn’t it? His caravans travel by land . . . so why would he mention pirates?”

“Exactly. You need to understand how this works in Cape Triumph. Pirates were an early problem in all the Adorian colonies. Most of the military sent over was used for ground campaigns against the Icori. The ocean was left wide open. And once trade really started booming between the colonies and Osfrid, all these fat ships full of treasure were just waiting for some enterprising man to snatch. And there are always men like that.”

“You said it was an early problem. Doesn’t it still happen?”

“Sure. But the royal navy has more of a presence now. They patrol the coasts. Lots of merchant ships arm themselves or hire mercenary escorts. The pirate trade dwindled, so some of them moved to land.”

“Wouldn’t they be called brigands then?” I asked. “Thieves? Bandits?”

“You’d think so. But they still claim piracy as part of their identity. And there’s more to that. Some of them have become local celebrities. They wear masks and take on flamboyant personas. Everyone knows their names and tells stories of their courage and cunning.”

“Theft is courageous and cunning?”

He rolled his eyes. “It is by the time these stories get around. Most of their raids are done against native Osfridians, the fat and the rich ones. Your average working colonial won’t get too upset by that. They don’t really see those kinds of people as ‘real’ people, and everyone likes a little challenge to authority now and then. From there, all it takes is these so-called pirates tossing a few coins someone’s way—to a sick old man, a hungry kid—and suddenly they’re heroes. No one’s going to turn them in.”

“But their victims are real people. Just look at Mister Kent,” I said indignantly. “He’s very real.”

Grant returned to gazing at the sea. “Not to them. He’s just another payday to them. Law enforcement’s sketchy there. The militia does some of it, but for a lot of people, these pirates are the closest they’ve got to justice. And if that wasn’t enough, Sir Ronald’s certain the traitors are buying stolen goods from them, making the trail harder to follow.” Grant returned to gazing at the sea. “I’m sure Silas would kill to have eyes and ears hidden in that circle.”

“Any chance the pirates will come to Glittering Court parties?”