Chapter Four
What puzzled and interested Konrad about Zolin was the how of his remarkable social success. He himself was widely accepted by the elite, but that was no accident. The Order knew very well what needed to be done. Konrad had the right address (Bakar House, in the most expensive and exclusive part of town); the right income (less than it was rumoured to be, but more than handsome enough); the right clothes (purchased from the best tailor in the city); and the right manners (drilled into him with merciless precision before he ever set foot in his handsome house). He entertained at Bakar House once or twice a year, just to keep his credentials in order; the society matrons of Ekamet needed to be reminded, once in a while, of his impeccable claim to a place among them.
Mr. Zolin
