“You let Abigail out of your sight and she was crawling here on the landing,” scolded Karli. Mary seemed to have some strange notion that she could set the baby down and leave and return to find the child in the same place. That hadn’t been true for nearly three months now. “What if she fell down the stairs?” said Karli.
Roo saw his daughter grinning at him, drool dribbling down her chin. Little teeth were emerging, and she often fussed through the night, but he had to admit he was becoming fond of her.
He bent down and picked up the child, who viewed him with a skeptical eye. The baby put out her hand, trying to stick as many fingers as possible into his mouth, when Roo was suddenly greeted by a very strong odor.
“Oh no,” he said, holding the child at arm’s length, while he looked for any sign of a diaper leak on his new coat. Not seeing one, he carried the baby—still at arm’s length—into the next room, where he said, “Dearest, the baby has filled her diapers . . . again.”
Karli took the girl and sniffed delicately, saying, “I believe you’re right.”
Roo pecked her on the cheek. “I’ll try not to be too late, but if talks go on into the night . . . don’t wait up for me.”
Before she could say anything, he was out the door. His carriage had been brought around from the storage yard behind the house. He had purchased it the month before and occasionally rode around the city in it, just to be seen.
The Bitter Sea Company, as it was known, was rapidly consolidating its power base, and the name Roo Avery was on its way to becoming famous throughout Krondor and the Western Realm. As Roo climbed into the carriage, he considered what he might do to further expand his reach financially. The Blue Star Shipping Company was reportedly in financial difficulty, and Roo thought the Bitter Sea Company would be needing more ships soon. Perhaps he should have Duncan sniff around the waterfront for further rumors, while he had Dash and Jason talk to their contacts. Roo wished he could convince Dash’s brother, Jimmy, to come to work for him as well, considering how useful he had proven during the grain manipulation. But while Dash was working with Roo with his grandfather’s blessing, the Duke seem determined to keep his other grandson working at the palace.
Roo settled back into the carriage and used a gold-topped walking stick to knock on the roof, signaling the driver he was ready to leave. The other thing that passed through Roo’s mind as he rode through Krondor was how he might exact revenge on Timothy Jacoby. Hurting him in the grain swindle hadn’t been enough. Twice since then Jacoby and Sons had pulled trades to the disadvantage of the Bitter Sea Company. It was also attracting other firms into loose alliance, due in the main to fear of the Bitter Sea’s growing power. But merely being more successful than Jacoby and Sons wasn’t enough for Roo. Until Tim lay dead before him, he wouldn’t count the debt for Helmut squared.
He considered a half-dozen plans and discarded them all. When a confrontation finally occurred, events had to appear as if Roo had nothing to do with inciting it; otherwise he might find himself back in the death cell, and now he had far too much to lose.
As if wealth was a lodestone, attracting more wealth, so his success in forming the Bitter Sea Company had caused more opportunities to appear. He now controlled most of the freight between Krondor and the north, and a very serious percentage of it between Krondor and the Eastern Realm. Only between Kesh and the Kingdom did he fail to gain any significant presence. Much of that trade had been secured by Jacoby and Sons, and those contracts appeared unbreakable. In fact, if anything, they appeared to be growing, as caravans from the south seemed on the rise.
Thoughts of business and trade vanished as the carriage approached the gates of the Estherbrook estate. The servant inside the gate inquired who was seeking admission and Roo’s driver called out his master’s name. The gate quickly opened. This was the fourth time since his grand party that Roo had visited the Estherbrook house. The first time, Sylvia had been flirtatious and charming. The second she had lingered after her father had bid Roo good evening, and she had again kissed his cheek, pressing her body against his, and again she blushed and claimed it was the effect of the wine. The last time she had again lingered, only this time the kiss had been passionate and not on the cheek, and she had said nothing about wine, only that he should return soon. The dinner invitation had arrived two weeks later.