A strong gambit. From the corner of his eye Bastien can see Beaudraste's eyes narrow, a touch of suspicion—but he doesn't look directly at her and doesn't hesitate before smoothing over the wrinkle he guesses she's about to point out.
"Not yet."
Not that a competitor who regularly scopes out business rivals might have had a chance to see already. The narrowed eyes stay narrowed, but the quality changes: no longer so much suspicion, more calculation, and the scratching of a mental note to find out exactly what Jacquard might be up to.
"By the end of the week, Claudette said."
Claudette is a real person. She really works for Jacquard. Just to be safe. The faint implication in the warm way her name rolls out of his mouth—that he is someone to whom she might confide her employer's secrets—is pretend.
"If you would like to wait," with a touch of deference sufficient to signal that Ness is the higher-ranking servant in whatever household they may hail from and will be the one deciding whether or not to give Beaudraste any money today, "we could be first in line."
no subject
"Not yet."
Not that a competitor who regularly scopes out business rivals might have had a chance to see already. The narrowed eyes stay narrowed, but the quality changes: no longer so much suspicion, more calculation, and the scratching of a mental note to find out exactly what Jacquard might be up to.
"By the end of the week, Claudette said."
Claudette is a real person. She really works for Jacquard. Just to be safe. The faint implication in the warm way her name rolls out of his mouth—that he is someone to whom she might confide her employer's secrets—is pretend.
"If you would like to wait," with a touch of deference sufficient to signal that Ness is the higher-ranking servant in whatever household they may hail from and will be the one deciding whether or not to give Beaudraste any money today, "we could be first in line."