DragonKnight - Donita K. Paul [45]
Grupnotbaggentogg drew up Sadie’s reins.
“Here we be.” He looked over his shoulder at his passengers. “The shop is open, but that don’t mean he’s here. His daughter and son-in-law mind the place when he goes off for the cure.”
Holt and Bardon hopped off the running boards as the old tumanhofer scrambled down the side of the cart. Holt had been on the sidewalk side and beat Bardon to the task of handing down the ladies. The squire frowned when the marione put his hands around N’Rae’s waist and lifted her out of the cart and onto the wooden planks beside him. Holt smiled into her eyes for a moment before letting her go.
A polished wooden door with a large pane of glass had an Open sign dangling from a hook above the window.
Bardon stepped in front of Holt and put a hand on the young marione’s broad chest, stopping him from following N’Rae to the door. He spoke softly so as not to disturb N’Rae and her grandmother. “Holt, the business we conduct here is of a private nature. I ask that you give the ladies a chance to make their inquiries without an audience. Could you perchance be persuaded to watch their belongings, protecting them from thieves?”
Holt bristled, then suddenly relaxed. The easy smile spread across his face. “Certainly. I serve in whatever capacity most benefits N’Rae and her grandmother.”
Bardon glanced at the ladies. They were perusing the maps, charts, and assorted merchandise in the shop windows. The trinkets from faraway ports caught Granny Kye’s attention. N’Rae examined a spangled hat from some distant city.
Under his breath, he addressed Holt. “I don’t trust you. After we get the ladies settled, I wish to have a talk with you. I would like to know why you followed us here. What are your intentions? Are you here on your own accord or at the bidding of your father?”
He patted the fine fabric of Holt’s coat. “I will expect you to tell me the truth.”
Grupnotbaggentogg turned the brass knob and entered the shop to the jangling of bells.
“Bromptotterpindosset,” he called. “Bromp! Are you here?”
A young woman came from behind a curtain covering a door to the back. Her thick blond braids wrapped her head like a crown. Bright blue eyes dominated her square face. Her nose and mouth were small for a tumanhofer. She wiped her hands on a white apron that covered the intricately woven blue, green, and gold cloth of her dress. She smiled at all the customers who’d entered the shop but spoke to the driver.
“Master Grupnotbaggentogg, what brings you here?”
“Brought some people looking for a map. Has your da gone off again?”
“Well, he’s gone off to get his noonmeal, but I reckon you meant had he gone off for the cure.” She shook her head and lowered her voice. “I’m expecting him to leave any day. His feet are driving him to distraction. Miserable, he is.” She softened her voice to just above a whisper. “And grouchy, he is. As much as I’ll miss him, I can’t wait to see the back of him disappear over the horizon.”
The old driver patted her shoulder in an awkward gesture of comfort. “It’ll be better, Saramaralindan, once he’s gone and comes back. Better for a decade or two, until the itch comes upon him again.”
She smiled and nodded. “Will you introduce me to your passengers?”
“This be Granny Kye and her granddaughter, N’Rae.”
Saramaralindan bobbed a curtsy.
“And Squire Bardon.”
Bardon stepped forward. “We require a map of the Northern Reach.”
N’Rae