Chapter 43: The Announcement and the Fall

The jeweler's stall in question belonged to a someone called Verel Yeardly.

"Reynard, young chap!" he beamed as we approached his brightly lit stall. "Who've we got here?"

"How's the sale going today, Mister Verel?" he blurted, clearly trying to evade the question.

"Answer me, boy," Verel demanded, his tone quiet but firm. 

"This wonderful lady here," Reynard said eventually as he gestured towards me with his left hand, "is Ashli Rivers. So about the sale-"

"Ashli Rivers?" Verel cut in as he crouched forward from where he sat on a large blue velvet ottoman and shook my hand. "Have we met before?"

"No, sir," I replied quickly, lowering my face so that my hair formed a curtain around it. "We certainly haven't met before."

I heard a 'mmm' and then a clap.