The Duke's Bed Warmer

Austin read the petition carefully. Every clause had been thought through. This was not something she had written in an hour. She had been working on it for weeks, quietly, while everyone else was focused on recovering from the chaos of Ashby’s arrest.

After reading the petition , he looked at her.

"You wrote all of this?" he asked.

She nodded.

"I started after the sewing circle finished the last shipment. I was sitting in the garden with the women, talking about future plans," she smiled faintly. "Some wanted to continue sewing, some wanted to travel while some wanted to rest. They were free to make their own decisions. But then I realized, there are still women living the life we escaped. I couldn’t stop thinking about it."

Austin put the petition on the table before speaking again.

"Alina, do you understand what this means politically?"

"I do," she replied. "I’m asking you to help me end the system that brought me here."

"This practice is centuries old," Austin said. "Half the lords in the kingdom have used it or gained from it."

"Half the lords once owned slaves too," she

replied. "If that can end, it can as well."

"It will take a lot of time."

"Then let’s start today," Alina replied.

Austin picked up the petition again and read the part about the Blood Ink Pact again.

"The court will fight you on this," he said. "If I put my name on this and present it as Duke of Ravenmoor, it will cost us alliances, support, some lords who have helped Ravenmoor for years will turn against us."

"I know," she replied. "But I’m not asking you to risk your position for this. I want you to use your position instead.

He looked at the determination on her face and reached for his pen. Then they worked together for the rest of the afternoon, refining clauses, tightening and arguments. By sunset, the petition was even stronger than before. For once, the desk that usually held reports about problems held a solution.

The next day, Alina carried the petition to the women having tea in the garden. When Alina arrived, everyone turned to look at her, and noticed the documents in her hand.

"Come, Alina," Marguerite said, smiling.

Alina smiled back and walked towards them.

"What are these papers?" Evelyn asked.

"Something I want to discuss with all of you," Alina replied and sat with them.

Everyone looked at her with curiosity. Alina took a deep breath and began to read every. She explained everything in detail from the nullification of existing contracts to the freedom it would give to women who had none. No one interrupted her in between.

When she finished, the women stared at her in disbelief. Marguerite was the first one to speak.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Alina replied.

"You plan to take this to the court, and ask the very men who benefit from this system to destroy it?"

"Yes."

Lady Brennan shook her head.

"They’ll destroy you instead."

"They can try. But I won’t give up," Alina replied.

"What do you need from us?" one of the women asked.

"Testimony," Alina answered. "Stories. I need women who can stand up in the court and tell everyone what this system did to them."

The women exchanged nervous looks. Alina could see the hesitation on their faces. They look slightly uncomfortable with the idea. Before she could say anything more to encourage them, one of them spoke.

"I’ll speak."

"So will I," another one added.

A lot of women who were affected by the system agreed to testify. But there were still some who weren’t ready yet. And no one pressured them.

"When do we begin?" Marguerite asked.

"After the wedding," Alina replied. "I want to stand before the court as Duchess of Ravenmoor, with Austin beside me."

"Then let us prepare while you plan the wedding," Lady Talbot said. "Spring is not far away."

That night, while lying together on the bed, Alina said something unexpected.

"I want to see my father," she said suddenly.

Austin’s hand froze on her back.

"What?"

"I want to see him before the wedding. Before we get busy with planning."

"I’ll come with you."

"I don’t plan to go without you " she smiled. "I want to tell him I’m getting married. I want him to know that his daughter survived what he did to her. And that the system he sold me into is going to end because of the woman he sold."

Silence filled the room.

"Have you forgiven him?" Austin asked after a while.

"No," she replied quickly. "But I understand him. And right now, I think understanding is the closest thing to forgiveness I can give to him."

"That’s enough," Austin said, pressing a kiss on her head.

The next morning, Austin called Maren in his study and showed her the petition. She read it in silence with a horrified expression on her face.

"This will start a war," she said.

"I know," Austin replied. "A political war."

Maren snorted.

"And still you’re going ahead with this?" She asked. "Lords who will lose their bed warmers or other women they acquired through contracts will fight with money, alliances, and everything they have. Some of them will even fight dirty."

"We’ve survived worse before."

"The situation with Audrey and Ashby was different. You’re not fighting one enemy. You’re fighting a tradition that has protected powerful men for centuries."

"I know that," Austin replied. "But I’m not backing down. We’ll present it after the wedding. Start the preparations."

Maren sighed in disbelief.

"Fine! There’s nothing I can do since you’ve already made up your mind," Maren said. "I’ll begin the groundwork quietly and map the allies. Some lords might support the ban to distance themselves from the Ashby scandal."

"And how are you planning to use the Blood Ink Pact?"

"It can be used as evidence," Maren replied. "Their stories and coded letters can be used as a proof that the system forced them into silence and secrecy."

Austin nodded.

"Be careful."

"Don’t worry. I’ll prepare everything we need. You focus on the wedding and the visit to Alina’s father."

After she left, Austin remained sitting at his desk for a long time. His gaze drifted towards the empty spot where the petition had rested. It was only a stack of papers with a few signatures from the women who didn’t matter to anyone. Yet it had the power to change countless lives.

He thought about Alina who had arrived in Ravenmoor with nothing and was treated like property. But she changed everything including him. And now she was trying to make sure no one else suffered the same fate.

A small smile appeared on his lips.

He was proud of her. Most people survived hardship and spent the rest of their lives running from it. Alina had survived and turned around to help everyone still trapped behind her. That was who she was. And that was one of the reasons why he loved her.