No Solace (The Flames of Retribution - Book 1)

Chapter Forty - New Opportunities

Peony ducked her head, shy again. "It is rude to call him such a name, but that is who I am to marry."

After I bashed down all my longing, I tried to match the name Peony said to a face, and I worried my bottom lip as I did so.

Merx chuckled at my action and sounded a bit sad. "My dearest departed love used to nibble at her lip like that when she was confused and vexed at the same time."

I kept my expression blank, not wanting to show how his still thinking of me caused my heart to leap. "Is that so? I feel sorrow for your loss." Then I turned to Peony before I either cried, or laughed...or both. "Do you really have to marry him? Seems Sanfelton gives you a choice in this matter."

She looked chagrined and nodded. "Our barony is penniless, and he's offering to save it. I had no other option but to accept."

"Penniless!" I realized I sounded too shocked, so I cleared my throat. "I mean, that's absolutely awful! And it's horrible that you must make a choice in that way. I will see what can be done to aid you."

She looked confused. "Why would you aid me?"

As I pondered the question of why I would aid a stranger, a myriad of excuses flitted across my mind. But I settled on the simplest one. "I just wish to help as any good person would."

She looked surprised. I knew that Darla had always treated Peony like a useless imbecile, but the way Peony shrunk away from the idea that someone would help for no reason saddened me.

"I would like to help as well. As you know, with the death of Duke Reigard, your barony now falls under my oversight." Merx said. I turned to him with a surprised smile, glad that he was still the good man I remembered.

Peony curtsied low. "Oh, forgive me, Your Grace. I had forgotten myself in my woes. I didn't know that Duke Reigard passed."

"No need for forgiveness. I will make sure that your barony is given aid. In the meantime, I will visit your sister Darla and get a full account of the state of it."

She paled. "Oh, that's not necessary. No... Darla would be..."

I put my hand over hers. "No word of you mentioning the state of things will reach her."

As a way of showing her that we meant it. We searched high and low for all listening charms or devices and destroyed them. Mercury left a signed document that he required all listening devices purged due to threats of spying by the rebels, and new, imperial ordained charms would be installed.

Determined to uncover the truth and help Peony, Merx left the library immediately after writing the document. Since Darla's Barony fell under Merx's control, she had no choice but to produce all ledgers, accounts, diaries, and documents to him at once. I wished that I'd been able to see her face when the Duchy sent guards to retrieve every bit of information, but I was struggling with my studies in level four Seeker. Isadora wasn't kind to me, as I wasn't able to do anything with my Homunculus. Plus, she was upset that I'd spurned her earlier. However, I was making progress in my room on my own.

Still, I was in danger of failing, and as the weeks passed by, it seemed that would be my doom. If I failed, I would be sent back to Calasha.

It was only after I managed to create an exact copy of my homunculus and another copy of a maid in my room in the embassy, that I was able to finally get Isadora's shocked approval.

When it happened at the embassy, only Ursula was there to see it. We'd danced, screamed, and carried on until the Ambassador sent someone to see what had happened.

After ensuring the aide that we'd seen a spider, but it was dead, we were much quieter. No sense in the ambassador knowing I was able to mimic.

Ursula toasted me with a goblet of water, her eyes shining, knowing that our future sneaky escapes would become that much sneakier. I just hoped I could keep the mimicry up and not tire out. I kept my homunculus in its pot within my bag when I went out for that reason.