Джо Аберкромби - A Little Hatred - Book One (The Age of Madness)

‘I only need to convince the owner of the land, a relative of Lord Isher, and I know you are a close confidante of his sister …’

Savine might wear a sword, but on this battlefield she fought with a fan. A conspiratorial tap with it, closed, could coax out smiles more surely than a witch’s wand. Snapped open with a flick of the wrist, it cut fruitless conversations off more sharply than an executioner’s axe. Deftly raised, with a curl of the lip and a turn of the shoulder, it buried men deeper than a spade.

‘Salt is the thing now, Lady Savine. Salt in quantity, for everyone. A partner could triple her money, within months, positively quadruple it …’

‘Clocks are the thing! Accurate clocks! Affordable clocks! The potential , Lady Savine, you cannot be blind to the potential …’

‘Why, a single word in the right ear at the Patent Office …’

One by one, she brought them forward with their schemes, their dreams, the light of certainty bright in their eyes. Her slightest smile lit their faces with delight. Her slightest frown doused them with horror. When she ended each interview with a snap of her fan, she thought of all the refusals she had endured, and relished her power.

‘With your contacts in Styria, your patronage could make all the difference …’

‘With your friends in the Agriont, it would only take an interview …’

‘The one thing I need is investment!’

‘ Quintuple her money!’

‘Lady Savine?’ A woman, young, red-wigged, freckle-shouldered, with a way of peeking over her gaudy fan that was meant to be winsome but to Savine looked merely sly. ‘I am – forgive me – a tremendous admirer of yours.’

Savine had a whole queue of tremendous admirers, and no idea what gave this girl the right to jump it. ‘How charming.’

‘My name is Selest dan Heugen.’

‘Boras dan Heugen’s cousin?’ Self-important oaf that he was. It appeared to run in the family.

‘Only my second cousin,’ simpered Selest. ‘I fear I’m nothing but a tiny twig at the furthest reaches of the family tree.’

‘A prize bud just blooming, I am sure.’

Selest blushed in the manner of an innocent country girl out of her depth in the big city. It made Savine think of a bad actress in a bad play. ‘I knew you would be beautiful, but never dreamed you might be so kind. My father left me some money and I intend to invest it. Might I ask whether you have any advice?’

‘Buy things that go up in value,’ said Savine, turning away.

‘Lady Savine dan Glokta.’ A small man with curly hair and clothes that advertised both money and tasteful restraint. ‘I had been hoping to make your acquaintance.’

‘I believe you have the advantage of me.’

‘Certainly not in beauty.’ He was unremarkable, it was true, apart from his bright eyes. They were different colours, one blue, one green. ‘My name is Yoru Sulfur.’

It was rare indeed for Savine to hear a name she had not heard before, and it always made her curious. New names meant new opportunities, after all. ‘And what is your business, Master Sulfur?’

‘I am a member of the Order of Magi.’

Savine was not easily surprised, but she could not stop her brows lifting at that. Zuri usually shepherded the cranks away, but she seemed for once to be elsewhere. ‘A wizard at a meeting of investors and inventors? Are you scouting the enemy?’

‘Say rather that I am seeking new friends.’ His smile was full of clean, sharp, shiny teeth. ‘We magi have always been interested in changing the world.’

‘How admirable,’ said Savine, though in her experience, when men spoke of changing the world, they always meant to suit their own interests.

‘There was a time, in the days of Euz and his sons, when magic was the best way to do it. But that time is long past. These days …’ And Sulfur glanced about the heaving foyer and leaned close as if to share a secret. ‘I begin to think this is better.’

‘You go where the power is,’ murmured Savine, touching him gently on the wrist with her fan. ‘I am just the same.’

‘Oh, you should meet my master. I have a feeling the two of you would have a great deal in common. He is used to dealing with your father, of course. But no one lasts for ever.’

Savine frowned. ‘Whatever can you—’

‘Lady Savine!’ Curnsbick was advancing on her, arms spread wide in a gesture of great affection. ‘When the hell are you going to marry me?’

‘A few days after never. Besides, I swear I was at your wedding to someone else.’

He folded her hand in his and kissed it. ‘Say the word and I’ll throttle her myself.’

‘But she’s such a lovely woman. I couldn’t have that on my conscience.’

‘Don’t pretend you have a conscience.’

‘Oh, I have one. But muzzled and kept well away from my business affairs. This is …’ She turned to introduce Sulfur but he had already vanished into the crowd.

‘Curnsbick, you old dog!’ It was Arinhorm, the deliverer of the first address, blundering into their conversation like a hog into a rose garden.

‘Arinhorm, my friend!’ Curnsbick slapped him heartily on the shoulder. He was a genius where machines were concerned, but prone to give people far too much credit. ‘Might I introduce Savine dan Glokta?’

‘Ah, yes.’ Arinhorm offered her a particularly mirthless smile. One of those insufferable men who thought everyone existed to service his needs. ‘I understand you have invested in several iron mines in Angland. Indeed, I understand you are perhaps the largest single owner in the entire province.’

Savine did not like her affairs being discussed before an audience. Winning made people friendly. Winning too much made them nervous. ‘I believe I have some interests there.’

‘You should have heard my address. The main challenge to the efficiency of mines is how quickly water can be pumped from their depths. There are limits to what can be achieved by hand or horse, but with my adaptation of Master Curnsbick’s engine, one can pump at ten times the speed and therefore dig further and deeper—’

There was sense in what he said, but Savine detested the way he said it. ‘My thanks, but it is not iron that interests me at the moment, but soap.’

‘Pardon me?’

‘Soap, glass, crockery. Things which were once luxuries for the noble have become essentials for the wealthy and will soon be a staple for everyone. Clean bodies, and glazed windows, and … crockery. Find a way to pump dinnerware out of the ground and I would be delighted to discuss it.’

‘You must be joking.’

‘I save my jokes for those with a sense of humour. You understand I have to be careful in my choice of partners.’

‘You are making a mistake.’

‘It would hardly be my first. I struggle on regardless.’

‘One should never allow feelings to get in the way of profit,’ he snapped, slightly blotchy with anger about the collar. Zuri had slipped from the crowd now and was doing her best to ease him away but he refused to be moved. ‘This only strengthens my conviction that there really is no place in business for women.’

‘And yet here I am,’ said Savine, smiling all the wider. ‘And here you are, with your begging bowl. No doubt there are many parts of Union life in which there is no place for women. But you cannot stop me buying or selling a thing.’

Curnsbick breathed on his eye-lenses and gave them a wipe. ‘Take care, my friend.’ And he placed them on his nose and looked up from under his brows. ‘Before Lady Savine chooses to buy and sell you.’

‘No need to worry.’ Savine flicked out her fan with a snap. ‘I only buy things with some profit in them.’