“There!” Pamel said. “A reaction—thank the gods I’ve amused her.” He glanced behind them, making sure there was no one there, before his voice quieted. “I don’t think Chaol told you our plan before the meeting—risky, on all of our parts.”
“What plan?” She traced a finger along the beading on her skirts, watching it shimmer in the afternoon light.
“For your identity. Which you should keep quiet about; your competitors might know a thing or two about Rieo’s Assassin and use it against you.”
Fair enough, even if it had taken them weeks to bother to fill her in. “And who, exactly, am I to be, if not a ruthless killer?”
“To everyone in this castle,” Pamel said, “your name is Lillian Gordaina. Your mother is dead and your father is a wealthy merchant from Bellhaven. You are the sole heir to
