A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness #1) - Joe Abercrombie Page 0,98

realised what they might be worth. She stuffed them into the torn lining of her corset.

The sound of the machines had stopped. Now there was only a faint din of crashing metal, ripping cloth, shattering glass. They were the Breakers, after all. They could smash the whole city for all she cared, as long as they left her in one piece.

She crept to the corner of the wall, peered around it towards the gate of the mill.

There was the carriage, looking just the way it had when she got into it that morning, driver sitting with his chin squashed into his scarf, one of the horses tossing its head, harness faintly jingling. All strangely safe and normal in the empty street.

With a whimper of relief, she stumbled towards it.

The Little People

Lisbit practised her sitting-up-straight. She wasn’t sure how Lady Savine made her neck look the way she did. She couldn’t have more bones in it than anyone else. But Lisbit had been studying her, every spare moment, and she’d get the trick of it. You had to work your shoulder blades back till it felt like they’d touch, then not lift your chin exactly, but sort of lift your whole throat …

She slumped back, wriggling her shoulders. Bloody hell, it was hard work. She opened the watch, spent a moment working out what the time was, then snapped it shut with that lovely click. Lady Savine was taking a while, but she’d wait, of course, that’s what a lady’s companion did. She’d wait until the sun went out if she had to. That’s how faithful she was. Better than that brown bitch Zuri, looking down her nose and giving orders to decent people like she was better than them. Well, she wasn’t better than Lisbit, and she’d prove it. She’d finally got her chance and she meant to take it. She straightened one of the very fine lace cuffs on the very fine new dress she was wearing, gave the watch a little pat where it sat above her heart, looking so grand on its beautiful chain. Lisbit Beech, lady’s companion. It just sounded right. She deserved it. More than that bloody Zuri. What kind of a name was that, anyway? A name you’d give a doll.

Bloody brown witch had everyone convinced she knew best. And now she was bringing her brothers back, too. And Lady Savine had just said, ‘Bring ’em in! Let ’em live here, where the decent folk have to live!’ Lisbit couldn’t believe it. As if there weren’t enough of them in Midderland already. She wanted to be kind. She was a generous person. Big-hearted, ask anyone. Always giving bits to the tramps when she had one spare. But there had to be a limit. Folk in the Union had their own problems, without a crowd of brown bastards flooding in and bringing more. They were everywhere now in Adua! There were places in the city a decent person hardly dared tread.

She slipped her little mirror out to check her face. This damn heat was the worst thing for powder. While she was tutting at the colour in her cheeks, she caught a glimpse through the window of some beggar limping up the street, making right for the carriage. Some beggar in a filthy coat with one sleeve missing, scrawny arm sticking out. She thought it might be a woman, and her lip curled with disgust. Filthy, she was, stubble hair caked with shit and blood and who knew what else. She looked diseased. The last thing Lisbit needed when Lady Savine got back was some sick cripple with her hand out.

She snapped the window down and snarled, ‘Get the fuck away from here!’

The beggar woman’s red eyes slid sideways, and she veered away from the carriage and hobbled off, hunching down.

A moment later, there was a clatter as the door on the other side of the carriage was ripped open. A man ducked in. A big man in worn work clothes with a great smear of soot down the side of his face. Barging into Lady Savine’s carriage, bold as you please.

‘Get out!’ snapped Lisbit, furious. But he didn’t get out. More men crowded in behind him, leering faces at the windows, dirty hands reaching for her.

‘Help!’ she shrieked, cringing against the door. ‘Help!’ And she kicked furiously at the one with the sooty face, caught him a good one on the jaw, but one of the others grabbed her ankle and they dragged