TW for this entire chapter: abuse, coersion, and harassment (I don't want to spoil anything with the TWs sorry I can't be more specific)

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Farryn couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that she'd gotten little information as she strode back outside to join the others, Susie holding the door open and glaring at her. Claud laughed as she approached, rolling one of Luli's candies in his fingers. "You look like you got Susie-d" he said. "You know them?" Farryn grabbed Luli's hand and let it go when she realized it was sticky with sugar. Claud shrugged. "Everyone knows them. Betrothed on and off for eight years now." "She's too good for him," she muttered as she racked her brain for what to do next."That's right." Claud laughed again. He was in an annoyingly good mood. "He's always trying to brag about her. Everyone knows they're never getting married. She just doesn't want to be officially alone." 

That made Farryn pause. "You talk to Edward? Regularly?" he nodded. "When I go to the tavern. He's always in there, trying to flirt." "Would you ask him about the letter then? The one that was found with Lord Trison's body?" "How will that help us?" Claud asked. Luli was getting fidgety. "Just find out," Farryn said. "When you see him again. And try to get some information on the investigation so far!" she needed some way to find her, not just the watered-down rumours she'd heard. She needed a suspected method of escape. She had to be hiding somewhere.

 Claud said something, but the pair were already walking off, towards the market where the driver had said he'd wait for them. Luli was singing a very repetitive song about pie. Farryn wondered how she'd ever survived in that factory. Iris had a lot of work for her to do when she returned. It was almost midnight when she sent Farryn off to bed, not bothering to lock her in. Farryn got changed into her old dress- now her nightgown- and then waited an hour before sneaking out. She'd go to the library one more time. Maybe she'd missed an M name. It wouldn't hurt to check.

She headed to the kitchens, but Claud was nowhere to be found. Hopefully in the tavern, getting information from Edward. So she climbed the steps back up to the library and broke in again. The moon wasn't as bright as before, so it took her a moment to find the cupboard. She had to push the curtain all the way open to get enough light, and, with her face practically in the drawer, she realized she'd accidentally opened L instead of M. She was just about to close the drawer when she read the name Liviana.

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Farryn felt incredibly stupid. She hadn't even thought to check that the name Liviana was in the cabinet. And it was evidently the one she was looking for, judging from how thick the folder was. She was just about to hurry out of the library when she heard the door creak open. Her heart jumped to her throat and in one swift move, she slammed the drawer shut and pulled the curtain closed. It waved for a moment, letting in a sliver of light, and Farryn heard a voice call "What was that?"She dropped to the floor and tried to calm herself. She needed to keep calm and hide-But Farryn could already feel the panic seizing every muscle in her body. In seconds the world was spinning, and breathing was a struggle. Move! she cursed herself, but she couldn't, so she just squished herself even tighter between the cabinet and the wall. That led to another onslaught of panic, but she bit it back. Whoever was in the library was getting closer. There was more than one, and they were talking, but Farryn was much too panicked to focus. Calm down!"It's so sad." the voice was feminine, soft. There was the sound of movement, and a book being pulled out of the shelf. "Would you have loved him?" "Of course, Ma'am. Your son was intelligent." "You did not say you would have loved him." Lady Trison? It sounded like her. The panic was subsiding, and Farryn felt her muscles unclench, fingers tingling."I do not know." the other voice responded. It had to be Lady Cordelia; who else could it be? They must have returned sometime during the day. There was silence, and then Farryn heard the sound of another book being taken out of a shelf. Then another. Then another. 

"Just so you remember, dear," The dear dripped with venom. "My son's legacy is still very much alive. He was a wonderful son to me. I loved him so. I would do anything for him. You would have loved him very very much. Like everyone else. I would hate for anyone to hate him."The silence that followed was heavy. Farryn's heart was still racing, and she feared it was so loud that they could hear it. But they didn't, and Lady Cordelia laughed. "Who could hate your son?" "Who indeed. Perhaps they heard some unsavoury rumours. But my son was nothing but... honourable." there was a pause. "Come now. I'll let you get some rest. Will you be returning home tomorrow?"

Their voices faded as the pair left the library, clicking the library shut. Farryn sighed, relieved, until she heard the lock turn. She waited a moment before standing, and hurried to the door. Thankfully she could unlock it from the inside. But if she unlocked it, she couldn't lock it back. It would be suspicious.

 She paced for a while, until she was fully calm again. The library was big, with multiple ways to escape. It wasn't like her tiny room. She decided to light a candle and try to find the books that Lady Trison or Cordelia had been pulling out of the shelves. It was fairly easy to find them. They jutted out a bit, not properly placed back. Farryn scanned the title of the first. The man and the pear tree.

She blinked as a memory resurfaced. Her mother had hated the story. It was about a man who accosted a pear tree every day, begging it for fruit. The tree refused, proclaiming it would give its fruit to no one. And then one day the man came with an axe and cut down the tree to have all of its fruit. Her father had bought them the book, on one of his trips. Her mother had screamed at him. Farryn still didn't really understand why. 

The next book was titled Simple Things. She opened the book and read part of its synopsis. Left desolate and alone, a young orphan fights to enjoy the Simple Things before his execution. The last book was further down, and confused Farryn. Because it was just a thin book titled "Baby Names for the Expecting Mother"