Alice has walked through halls of power at the sides of some of the most powerful men and women in the Nyal Imperium. Her position as a Companion puts her in places she never imagined, including a world that is being evacuated so it can give itself a facelift. Her client wills her a house, fortune and title on his home world, which means that the moment he passes away, she is in deep. Going to the Oefric for judgement, Alice finds her accounts frozen pending further investigation, and she has to run for her life as her husband's family puts a hit out on her. Kadenz wanted to retire, but when the judge sends Alice to him as housekeeper, he is fascinated by her grace, her poise and her ability to stab him in the ass with a fork.