A Wake in Riverside

The fourth episode of Tremontaine.

## Synopsis

It is almost two weeks since the beginning of Episode 1, and it is raining. Kaab searches for Tess in Riverside. Jamie, waiting by Tess's home to collect messages, tells Kaab that Tess has gone to the Three Dogs, a tavern, after hearing news of a body that washed up on the riverbank.

William is in Rafe's room. He suggests that Rafe become his junior secretary so that Rafe has an excuse to visit him often. William believes that this will keep Diane from figuring out that he is having an affair. Rafe asks if William has made any progress on reversing the decision of the Board of Governors, and when William says that this will take time, turns him down. William leaves, hoping that Rafe will reconsider.

Kaab goes to the Three Dogs and discovers Ben's body. Examining it, she learns that he has been murdered, stabbed through the heart.

Rafe has presumably gone out after William leaves, as he returns with food for Micah. Micah is having trouble with the math she is doing for Rafe and learns that the book with tables that he gave her is twenty-five years old.

Thaddeus and Joshua return and interrupt this discussion to ask Rafe about William. They learn about William's offer. Joshua points out that accepting it is another way for Rafe to achieve his goal of founding a school. Rafe asks what Micah will need to make up new tables of numbers and leaves.

Kaab enters the Three Dogs and learns that the people inside are having a wake for Ben. She joins in, learning a little more about Ben, his father, and Riverside life.

Rafe returns to Tremontaine House and accepts William's offer. Diane overhears them having sex in William's study.

Tess and Kaab leave the Three Dogs. By now, the rain has stopped. They go to Tess's home.

William is late to dinner. When he arrives, he lies to Diane about Rafe, which disturbs Diane more than the affair, and tunes her out. He asks about opening up Highcombe, probably so that he can spend time there with Rafe, but Diane manages to deflect this. She is simultaneously furious with him for not realizing how much she is doing for Tremontaine and determined to keep him from finding out, just as she is simultaneously furious with him for lying to her about Rafe and determined not to let him know that she knows that he is lying.

Kaab asks Tess to create an inaccurate copy of a sheet of paper. Tess says that this will cost extra, and Kaab agrees to bring her chocolate. Kaab tells her that Ben was murdered and promises to find out why.

## Timeline

The book Rafe gave Micah is about 25 years old.

It's been a few days since Episode 3, and almost two weeks from the opening of Episode 1. It is raining at the beginning of the episode, but the rain stops before the end.

It's been a few days since Rafe insulted Diane in her home, which was right after he and William first had sex.

William is in Rafe's room in the morning, but has an engagement that Diane arranged for the afternoon. He hires Rafe as his junior secretary.

Ben's wake occurs.

Diane learns that William is having an affair with Rafe.

Kaab gives Tess a job that Tess estimates will take a week or two. Tess has two weeks to find a new protector.

## Arc / Plot Points

In Tultenco, "last autumn", Kaab took matters into her own hands, probably without the knowledge of her elders. She is doing the same thing here by engaging Tess's services.

William does not want Diane to learn that he is having an affair.

Diane learns that William is having an affair with Rafe. She has never known him to be unfaithful before. He is also lying to her about it.

The body that washed up, the one described last episode, is Ben's. Ben was murdered, stabbed through the heart. This happened shortly after Diane gave Reynard his instructions.

Kaab recognizes Ben's death as an execution. The same thing happened in a Tullan courtyard. Kaab remembers kneeling by a woman's body. The woman, presumably Citlali, had been stabbed from behind with an obsidian dagger.

No one living in Riverside realizes that Ben was murdered.

Ben's father was Rupert Hawke, known as the Gentleman Robber. Rupert always worked alone and seemed to have a way of knowing decoy carriages from ones carrying things he could plunder. The name of "Gentleman Robber" came about because of a story about him stopping a carriage coming to the City from the North. The story goes that he killed the men with the carriage and looted everything of value, but spared the two noble girls. The line everyone knows is "Rupert Hawke, Gentleman Robber, steals your money but spares your daughter."

By Riverside custom, people have a fortnight (two weeks) to mourn their dead before anyone attacks them. This custom does not seem to be followed by the rest of the City, given that Tess does not contradict Kaab when she says that Tess isn't safe outside of Riverside.

Diane only wears her peacock pin at home for "very special occasions".

Diane has sold a couple of objects d'art to a trader from Chartil. These were carefully chosen so that their absence would not be remarked upon, as it would be a social disaster if it were known that Tremontaine was having money problems.

William has no idea how serious Tremontaine's money problems are, and Diane makes sure it stays that way.

Diane had a nightmare that William failed to get the tax reform she wants passed.

William suggests opening Highcombe, apparently thinking it would be a good place at which he could spend time with Rafe. Diane manages to deflect him.

Kaab gives Tess a sheet of paper to copy over with deliberate inaccuracies and promises to pay her extra, which means chocolate.

Kaab tells Tess that Ben was murdered and promises to find out why.

## Cultural and World Information

Tess refers to Kaab as one of the "chocolate people" in Episode 1, but Jamie, the boy collecting messages for Tess, has no idea what it looks like, and may not even know what the word "chocolate" means. This seems to be the norm in Riverside. When Kaab asks Tess if she "knows" chocolate, despite having heard Tess refer to her as one of the "chocolate people", Tess thinks, correctly, that it is the "fancy drink" people love "uptown", but she isn't completely sure, and she has never had it.

The Kinwiinik give directions in terms of compass directions. The Xanamwiinik use "left" and "right", whcih Kaab finds confusing.

Kindaan is the language of the Kinwiinik.

Ixchel is the Kinwiinik deity who guides people to the land of the dead.

There is a kind of Kinwiinik paper called huun.

The Three Dogs is a tavern on Sheaves Lane in Riverside.

Audley is presumably a poet of the Land, presumably deceased.

There is a cemetery outside the City. This is where Ben will be buried.

It is apparently very difficult for the Xamanwiinik to pronounce Kinwiinik names. Tess cannot seem to pronounce "Ix-" correctly, and Kaab says to just call her "Kaab".

Objects d'art from the City are valued by traders from Chartil as "exotic relics from a foreign land".