Chapter 79 - Conspirators with potential
“My Lady. A Mister Smith is here.” Molly stood at the entrance of Scarlett’s office in the Freybrook mansion. “He said he had prior plans to meet with you?”
Scarlett put down the letter from Evelyne that she’d been reading. “Very well. Lead him to the small guest parlor. I will be there shortly.”
“As you wish, my Lady.”
Scarlett started arranging the papers on her desk as Molly left the room.
She glanced at the silver clock piece standing at the corner of the desk. It was nearing three in the afternoon, and she was supposed to have a session with Garside later in the evening. But this likely wouldn’t take too long.
Their group had returned from Dimfrost earlier in the morning, so things had been somewhat hectic with just getting things in order. Unfortunately, they hadn’t been so lucky as to have a ship stop by the isolated village as Scarlett had hoped, but thanks to Garside’s efforts, they’d still made it back in time. While she had only heard about it afterward, the butler had apparently gone around the village, harrying its residents until he found some who had a small rowboat that they’d helped bring out into the water. The river was heavily trafficked by ships, which Garside had somehow contacted.
She hadn’t been present to witness it, but imagined it had to have been difficult getting any of the ships to lower their sails and negotiate like that. It had all sounded like a pretty ramshackle solution to her, but clearly, it worked. Perhaps he used magic of some kind. Whatever the case, Garside had successfully chartered room on a merchant ship that had been carrying timber upriver from the southwestern part of the empire and was on its way back.
It ended up costing more than the trip to Dimfrost itself—the ship had essentially been forced to lower its sails and slow its travel to a halt for several hours as Scarlett and the others prepared and rowed out to it—but now that they’d retrieved some new loot from the Howling Gale’s Haunt that wasn’t too much of an issue.
Fynn’s siblings hadn’t been happy over their leaving before even a full day had passed. The youngest two of the siblings, especially, had simply adored Rosa, and Allyssa had apparently made friends with Fynn’s eldest sister as well. Kelnorin and Inayra had been adamant about wanting to come with, but after some convincing on Fynn’s part—and a promise that he’d come see them for a longer duration later on—they’d calmed down and let their group leave with only a few complaints.
It must be difficult for those kids, with their eldest brother out in the world, just trying to ensure they would have a future. While she couldn’t truly understand what they would feel, Scarlett could sympathize with their situation. She was thinking she might help Fynn find a place for his siblings in the future, though she wasn’t sure if he wanted that. While Dimfrost wasn’t his original home, it was the closest to it that remained. Both he and his siblings might have attachments to the place.
It was a matter she was planning on asking him about later on.
Ensuring she wasn’t forgetting anything, she soon rose from her desk and left the office behind, making her way to the smaller guest parlor that was located here in the mansion’s east wing. Inside, sitting on one of the red leather couches at the center of the room, was a man with a thick blond beard covering half of his face and a large brown cap that hid his head.