10
THE ANDRAHAR accountant’s wife, Zimana Estredin, was the librarian for the theatrical society, and she happened to be a woman who was widely known as a terrible gossip. Since Rehan had sent the husband to the Andrahar office, the wife would be at home alone. A perfect time to go for an innocent chat.
The Estredin family lived in the merchant quarter above a bakery, in a dark but comfortable apartment on the third floor of a block that was four floors high. These buildings were very old, made from local dark granite, rather than the lighter sandstone brought in from Bendara, with high ceilings and elegantly carved door frames. Mikandra’s footsteps echoed in the stairwell with its well-worn tiles. A man dressed in a heavy merchant robe came the other way.
“Good morning, lady.”
Mikandr
