Read Online Brown River Queen by Frank Tuttle - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Frank Tuttle
Tags: Fantasy
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Curly black hair. Fancy black dress, last time I saw her. Good teeth. Blue eyes. Ring any bells?”
A coin found its way into my hand. This happy accident was witnessed by my friend, the smiling doorman.
“Quiet, she was. Never got a name. Arrived three days ago. Haven’t seen her since.”
My coin found a new home. I bade my friend farewell and headed for the front desk, lest our conversation be noted as anything but a polite change of pleasantries by the somewhat less jolly-looking desk clerk.
The lobby was everything the Orlin’s exterior wasn’t. The floors were white marble all the way to the desk. There were chairs and low tables scattered about, plants in urns, and even a burbling fountain in the center. Tall, old windows managed to let in just enough light to keep the room from being gloomy. A huge hearth—no fire today—took up one wall. Four long couches faced it, ready to warm street-weary feet come winter and Rannit’s fickle snows.
The desk was a curving thing of oak and stone that took up another wall. Behind it stood a single clerk, whose sharp little eyes bore into the depths of my soul as I smiled and sauntered up.
“Does sir have a reservation?”
I didn’t let my smile drop even a little.
“Sir does, but I’m not due until tomorrow. I’m here a day early on party business.”
I spoke the last in a whisper, accompanied by a furtive glance around the room.
The clerk’s glare softened a bit. He took in the brand of the hat I laid casually on the counter and the cut of my jacket and the enticing aroma of my five-crown after-shave, and his glare softened even more.
“Party business, sir?”
I made frantic shushing noises. “For Heaven’s sake, man, keep it down. The Duchess will be furious if anyone spoils the surprise.”
“The Duchess?”
“Shush, man!” I leaned in close and continued in a whisper. “I assumed you of all people had been told!”
He reddened.
“Well, surely you’re in on it? How could you not be—you, the man in charge?”
He positively inflated with injured pride.
“Some people don’t see things that way, sir. I assure you, I’ve been kept quite in the dark.”
I shook my head and sighed. “Then you weren’t told that the Duchess is planning to surprise the Duke tomorrow, right here in the lobby?”
“No one has breathed a word, sir.”
“Unbelievable. Why, if I hadn’t arrived early…” I let my words trail off.
“Indeed, sir! The calamity! Now, how may I assist you?”
“I shall need to see the Duchess straightaway,” I said. “She usually travels under the name Chavel-by-Golance. Perhaps you can send a boy up with word that I am here?”
“Sir, I can assure you, we have no guest registered under that name.”
I snapped my fingers in a show of well-bred rage.
“She must be exercising even greater caution than usual,” I said. “I imagine she’s using another name. Gont de Lamon? Mrs. Notable of Plinker? Baroness Callowhapper?”
“Sir, no one of those names has ever been a guest here.”
“The Duchess is a striking woman. Petite, like all the dames of her line. Black hair, delicate features, blue eyes?”
The clerk’s face lit up with a sudden beaming smile.
“But of course, sir,” he said, his gaze moving past me over my left shoulder. “And here she is, right now!”
I turned.
And there she was. The same black hair, piled high and held tight. The same blue eyes gazing right into mine. The same wide smile, as if she’d just found something dear she’d lost long ago.
The knife in her slender small hands, though. The knife was not the same. This one was a plain backwoods hunting knife, its wicked blade honed to a deadly shine.
“Sir?”
Judging from his tone, I guessed the desk clerk had seen the knife and was beginning to realize that the woman was trouble—duchess or not.
I left my hat where it sat. I saw there to be more chairs and couches to my right, so that’s where I headed with
A coin found its way into my hand. This happy accident was witnessed by my friend, the smiling doorman.
“Quiet, she was. Never got a name. Arrived three days ago. Haven’t seen her since.”
My coin found a new home. I bade my friend farewell and headed for the front desk, lest our conversation be noted as anything but a polite change of pleasantries by the somewhat less jolly-looking desk clerk.
The lobby was everything the Orlin’s exterior wasn’t. The floors were white marble all the way to the desk. There were chairs and low tables scattered about, plants in urns, and even a burbling fountain in the center. Tall, old windows managed to let in just enough light to keep the room from being gloomy. A huge hearth—no fire today—took up one wall. Four long couches faced it, ready to warm street-weary feet come winter and Rannit’s fickle snows.
The desk was a curving thing of oak and stone that took up another wall. Behind it stood a single clerk, whose sharp little eyes bore into the depths of my soul as I smiled and sauntered up.
“Does sir have a reservation?”
I didn’t let my smile drop even a little.
“Sir does, but I’m not due until tomorrow. I’m here a day early on party business.”
I spoke the last in a whisper, accompanied by a furtive glance around the room.
The clerk’s glare softened a bit. He took in the brand of the hat I laid casually on the counter and the cut of my jacket and the enticing aroma of my five-crown after-shave, and his glare softened even more.
“Party business, sir?”
I made frantic shushing noises. “For Heaven’s sake, man, keep it down. The Duchess will be furious if anyone spoils the surprise.”
“The Duchess?”
“Shush, man!” I leaned in close and continued in a whisper. “I assumed you of all people had been told!”
He reddened.
“Well, surely you’re in on it? How could you not be—you, the man in charge?”
He positively inflated with injured pride.
“Some people don’t see things that way, sir. I assure you, I’ve been kept quite in the dark.”
I shook my head and sighed. “Then you weren’t told that the Duchess is planning to surprise the Duke tomorrow, right here in the lobby?”
“No one has breathed a word, sir.”
“Unbelievable. Why, if I hadn’t arrived early…” I let my words trail off.
“Indeed, sir! The calamity! Now, how may I assist you?”
“I shall need to see the Duchess straightaway,” I said. “She usually travels under the name Chavel-by-Golance. Perhaps you can send a boy up with word that I am here?”
“Sir, I can assure you, we have no guest registered under that name.”
I snapped my fingers in a show of well-bred rage.
“She must be exercising even greater caution than usual,” I said. “I imagine she’s using another name. Gont de Lamon? Mrs. Notable of Plinker? Baroness Callowhapper?”
“Sir, no one of those names has ever been a guest here.”
“The Duchess is a striking woman. Petite, like all the dames of her line. Black hair, delicate features, blue eyes?”
The clerk’s face lit up with a sudden beaming smile.
“But of course, sir,” he said, his gaze moving past me over my left shoulder. “And here she is, right now!”
I turned.
And there she was. The same black hair, piled high and held tight. The same blue eyes gazing right into mine. The same wide smile, as if she’d just found something dear she’d lost long ago.
The knife in her slender small hands, though. The knife was not the same. This one was a plain backwoods hunting knife, its wicked blade honed to a deadly shine.
“Sir?”
Judging from his tone, I guessed the desk clerk had seen the knife and was beginning to realize that the woman was trouble—duchess or not.
I left my hat where it sat. I saw there to be more chairs and couches to my right, so that’s where I headed with
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