“No, of course not,” she said easily. Though even if he was, she would hardly be bothered. “Do you think I reported my purchases to customs upon my return? Believe me, the quantity of coffee alone would be valued at close to five thousand gil, let alone the rest of it. I don’t even want to think about the market value of the dresses.” She was a silk merchant’s daughter, after all. She was quite well equipped now for the balls and parties of late summer and autumn. The catty noblewomen who palled around with Altair’s unpleasant fiancée would find nothing to scorn and much to envy.
She let the silence fall for a few moments before offering a new subject: “So, aside from apparent dissent among the powers that be and the difficulties with trade, what other news have I missed? Any word from the other guilds?” Why hadn’t Aspel answered? Ari didn’t want to think something was wrong – the other woman hardly owed her immediate attention – but the circumstance was… a bit disquieting all the same.