jamjar

"In light of your decision to emigrate, you may wish to hire my services," the Marquis said.

"I don't know if I could afford it," Richard said. He made the effort to step where the Marquis stepped, following the light indentations in the mud. "I didn't come back prepared for this. I should have brought another hanky."

The Marquis raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure that would have come in useful." He paused and looked Richard over, dispassionate as a chartered surveyor, before smiling in a way that entirely failed to reassure. "Never let it be said that I'm not flexible. Payment can be negotiated. A future favour, something suitably large to balance the likelihood that you'll die before I can collect."

"I thought I could stay with Door."

"I'm sure she would welcome your presence, but the Lady Door is rather nomadic and can be difficult to find." He turned around, coat flaring, for no reason that Richard could see, and pushed past Richard in the direction they'd just come form, beckoning for him to follow. "You'd probably run into her at the next market. Assuming, of course, you survived that long." His tone suggested that he thought this rather unlikely, but was willing to entertain the nonpossibility out of a sense of fairness.

"I'm not as--" Stupid? Naive? "I could..." Richard frowned. "Fine. Until I get on my feet."

"For a big favour," The Marquis grinned, sharp white teeth flashing in the dark. Richard nodded and the Marquis's satisfied smile widened impossibly. Like the Cheshire Cat Richard thought.

"I think you've made the right decision. Left to yourself, you do have a tendency to get into bargains which are positively *unhealthy* for you." The marquis's voice was almost chatty as he called back over his shoulder.

"I was still new at this," Richard said. "I'm not going to make deals with Velvets again."

The Marquis stopped, so suddenly Richard almost tripped into him and kissed him so quickly that Richard didn't have time to register it until it was finished and the Marquis was standing three feet away.

"The Velvets aren't the only cold things," the Marquis said. He turned his back on Richard, ducked under a broken water pipe and into a tunnel.

Richard frowned, then followed him further in.