The response from Solmere arrived four days later.
Aria was in the middle of a meeting with Eleanor's estate steward about winter grain storage allocations when the courier appeared in the doorway. The steward was a precise man who did not appreciate interruptions and showed it in the particular way precise people showed things, a slight tightening around the eyes and a pause that was a fraction too long before he continued speaking.
She held up one finger without looking at him and took the letter.
It was thicker than she expected.
"Continue from the drainage figures," she said, setting the letter face down on the table. "I'll read this after."
The steward continued. She listened with the part of her attention that could listen while the rest of it sat with the weight of the envelope and thought about what her contact had managed to find in four days that required this much paper.
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