"Got to be home by thunthet!" Igor shouted. "It"th tradithional."
The big red sun was moving through bars of cloud.
"Oh, let him, dear, if it gives the poor soul pleasure," said Lady Sybil, shutting the window. "Now, Sam, what happened at the tower?"
"I don"t really want to worry you, Sybil."
"Well, now that you"ve got me really worried, you may as well tell me. All right?"
Vimes gave in and explained the little that he knew.
"Someone"s killed them?"
"Possibly."
"The same people that ambushed us back in that gorge?"
"I don"t think so."
"This isn"t turning out to be much of a holiday Sam."
"It"s being unable to do anything that makes me sick," said Vimes. "Back in Ankh-Morpork... well, I"d have leads, contacts, some kind of a map. Everyone here is, well, hiding something, I think. The new king thinks I"m a fool, the werewolves treated me as if I was something the cat dragged in. The only person who"s been halfway civil was a vampire!"
"Not the cat," said Sybil.
"What?" said Vimes, mystified.
"Werewolves hate cats," said Sybil. "I distinctly remember that. Definitely not cat people."
"Hah. No. Dog people. They don"t like words like bath or vet, either. I reckon if you threw a stick at the Baron he"d leap out of his chair to catch it - "
"I suppose I ought to tell you about the carpets," said Sybil, as the coach rocked around a corner.
"What, isn"t he house-trained?"
"I meant the carpets in the embassy. You know I said I"d measure up for them? Well, the measurements aren"t right on the first floor..."
"I don"t want to sound impatient, dear, but is this a carpet moment?"
"Sam?"
"Yes,, dear?"
"Just stop thinking like a husband and start listening like a... a copper, will you?"
Vimes marched into the embassy and summoned Detritus and Cheery. "You two are coming with us to the ball tonight," he said. "It"ll be posh. Have you got anything to wear apart from your uniform, sergeant?"
"No, sir."
"Well, go and see Igor. There"s a good man with a needle if I ever saw one. How about you, Cheery?"
"I do, er, have a gown," said Cheery, looking down shyly.
"You do?"
"Yes, sir."
"Oh. Well. Good. I"m putting the two of you on the embassy staff, too. Cheery, you"re... you"re Military Attache."