I enjoyed Locke's schemes to get hold of some elegant clothing. Love that he was knocked back twice, only to come up with a grand scheme that succeeded. It's always nice when bankers are conned.

Loved that Jean got to deal with the Berengias sisters now instead of it all becoming one big showdown at the end. The Wicked Sisters are a nice touch.

The Salavara's scheme with "Lukas" is intriguing. I cannot remember what they are up to, so I'm looking forward to finding out.

However, I'm not sure that I like that it's all shaping up to the big showdown being in front of the Duke and the nobility. I remember really enjoying the chapter where Locke meets the Spider (I think he meets the Spider, anyway), so hopefully it will be done well.

I like the extra glimpse of the Bondsmage's power we get here, too.

At this late stage, I've decided that I like the interludes after all. The reason for this is that it's not always apparent how they tie into the story, which is one nice way of making a good patchwork plot. That's certainly something I've been impressed about in this reread: there's nothing simple, nothing linear, yet Lynch keeps all of his strands neat. It's quite a skill.