She thought the tea would be better.
   Liberty reclined on the plush upholstery of the sofa. She had reserved a private sitting room in the city's most exclusive hotel for this meeting and had arranged for their best refreshments to be served in anticipation of her guest. 
   After sipping her tea to help settle her nerves, she realized that the taste wasn't really something to write home about. Seemed like even in a posh society like this, businesses were the same everywhere. It was an old trick to repackage the same old product as 'luxury' just because of the brand name. She tsked softly but glanced up and hastily sat up straight as the door finally opened.   
    A stunningly beautiful woman glided into the room. Liberty had known to expect her to be attractive, but she was stunned into silence by the reality. 
    A momentary look of surprise flickered across the classic features set in the oval face, then the woman crossed the room and settled onto the matching settee across from her. She took a moment to settle the skirts of her modestly cut, elegant gown and flicked open the fan that hung from a cord around her wrist, before turning her attention to Liberty. 
   The slowly wavering fan covered her lower face, as wide-set eyes, a deep amethyst color fringed by long, dark lashes, dominated above a set of sculpted cheekbones. Though not a single wisp had escaped her precisely coiffed hair, after a moment pretended to tuck a stray strand of hair so blue that it was nearly black behind her ear, then spoke. 
   "Well, I feel that this meeting will be far more interesting than I had initially expected." Her voice was melodious, but a little husky. Like honey mixed into whiskey. A thin, well-sculpted eyebrow arched, and she looked at her with a clear gaze and some expectation.
   The book hadn't gone into much detail about the background of the victim,  Melisande Atwater, in the case that had been the catalyst to push the two leads together. It had only mentioned that she had been a minor baroness, widowed young, who had risen to be the most sought-after courtesan in the capital before Serena had stumbled onto her murdered body at a ball. 
   The resulting uproar had given the Prince a reason to approach the shy young lady who had caught his eye across a ballroom and fled, only to run straight into a murder scene.  While the Prince had insisted that Serena join the investigation at his side and used it as an excuse to force her to spend time with him. 
    As the many tangled relationships with high-ranking aristocrats that the Baroness had were revealed, the Prime Minister had stepped in and steered the investigation. While the Prince focused on chasing Serena, the hard working Prime Minister was adamant that the culprit needed to be tracked down and dealt with. Was it possible that the poor man had personal reasons behind it? 
   The book had been rather sparse with personal details about the Prime Minister. She had honestly forgotten the character's actual name and just thought of him as Mr. Clean since he was always cleaning up the messes. Largely, when it mentioned him at all, it focused on how he used his brilliant mind to support the Prince in his endeavors behind the scenes. He was always busy making sure that the Empire still functioned while the Crown Prince, who should have been doing it, spent his time on just about anything else. Mainly wooing Serena, she thought with disgust. The only time it mentioned his personal life was the snarky digs from the Prince about being single while he was trying to get that slacker to do some actual work. So he was at least not married. 
    That didn't mean he didn't find companionship in what little free time he squeezed out for himself. She certainly couldn't fault his taste if he had a private relationship with this beautiful woman.
   "Well, I certainly hope that I can at least be engaging enough to make you consider the offer I arranged this meeting to give you." Liberty took a sip of tea herself and called out confidently to Erica, "Gwendolyn, you can join us now." 
   "I'm sure that Dame Gwendolyn Halwind, formerly of the Imperial Guards, needs no introduction." Liberty gestured to the blond woman as she entered and took a seat, politely nodding to the Baroness.
   While there was a brief flicker at the mention of her leaving the Guards, she showed no surprise at Gwendolyn’s identity. She maintained her silence, waiting for them to provide her with more information. What little intel she had been able to gather about the woman since waking up in this literary nightmare was that she was the cautious type. Adept at gathering information in the shadows and waiting before acting.
    The most intriguing detail for liberty was the web of connections that Melisande had made for herself. There was nothing in the book about her personality, aspirations, or goals. It did, however, mention that her network of informants and collaborators was vast. 
   ‘Will you walk into my parlor?’ said the spider to the fly… Liberty thought.  
   "I won't beat around the bush with you, Melisande. Can I call you Melisande?" After a brief hesitation, the Baroness nodded, and Liberty continued. "Since you know who Gwendolyn is, I'm assuming you know me as well. Even if you didn't know that the appointment was with me instead of my father." Liberty acknowledged the small deception she had used to get the woman there. Requesting an appointment with such a high profile courtesan in the name of the Count, who was famously devoted to his wife, was a risk. She had gambled on at least piquing the Baroness’s curiosity enough to get her to stay and listen, and her famous discretion to avoid trouble at home. 
   As the woman gave her another brief nod, she continued. "We are putting together a team of talented and skilled individuals that will create waves within the Empire. I want to recruit you for our team and provide you with the necessary resources to make the most of the talents and connections I know you have."
   Melisande's eyebrow arched upward again, and she leaned back in her seat with a slightly mocking smile. "Well, I never thought that the beloved youngest child of the Blanc family, let alone one of the Halwinds, would wish to step into the shadows where I play." She tapped her fingers against the arm of the settee and shot an appraising look over them both, then her manner shifted. The smile stayed, but there was no warmth or amusement in it anymore. Now it was more like a warning from a predator, like a wolf's bared teeth or a sharkfin slicing through the water. "Though I don't really think that either of you are cut out for this business, even if you could make a pretty penny. Men do tend to go for the sweet and innocent ones. At least at first. But they always grow bored eventually and move on. Innocence does not last."
   A softly flowing laughter filled the room in sharp contrast to the outraged flush on Gwendolyn's face. The swordswoman gripped her sword hilt to draw it, but Liberty waved her back with one hand, holding her middle with the other a she laughed. Melisande seemed taken aback by the two very different reactions. 
   "Oh, you are just perfect! Give me a moment- phew..." Liberty wiped a tear from the edge of her eye as the laughter finally subsided to just a few giggles.
   "If you are seeking cheap thrills, I suggest you look elsewhere.” Her features hardened as she continued. “If you are looking for independence, I again suggest that you abandon this path. This business isn't as easy as it would appear. Men are vicious and fickle creatures. Just because they like you enough to have you warm their bed doesn't mean that they will be willing to give you enough to even live on, let alone make you rich." The woman leaned forward and glared at her, but spoke earnestly. "No woman should want to be put at the mercy of men more than they have to be. It has taken me years to finally have the ability to have them chasing me instead. I have carved out a place for myself, but I have had to learn hard lessons on the way." The bitter sincerity and anger in her voice were clear. "I have no interest in becoming a mentor leading others down this path, or procuress for the whims of men."
   "I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding about us." Liberty sat back, losing all mirth and locking eyes with the Baroness. The woman’s anger was an angle she could work with. It was proof that this was the right person for the job she needed done. “Though we understand you.” This time it was Liberty’s turn to arch an eyebrow as Melisande scoffed.
   "I see you need some convincing.” Liberty tapped the table top with her index finger. “I know that your father practically sold you to Baron Waterford for a played out mine. I know the indignities you were subjected to during your marriage. Then, once you were finally free after his early death, your father swooped in and attempted to sell you off again." Melisande stiffened as she made these statements so bluntly. Liberty paused for another sip of her tea, even though it had gone cold at this point. 
   “You seem to know a great deal.” The woman’s response was cuttingly neutral, all emotion viciously suppressed.   
   "I know that you became who you are now in an attempt to take some control back in your life. If you are going to be treated as a commodity, might as well be the one to do the selling and not allow others to reap the profit." She held the Baroness' gaze, who gave a calculatedly nonchalant shrug at the statement. 
   "I'm a young lady, beloved by my family, as you said. But I also know that I will only get as much control over my life as my father and brother choose to give me. I know I am very lucky. Because they love me, I can expect that they will take my wishes into account, and I sincerely believe that they will make choices they believe will be best for me. However, those choices will be theirs to make, and I will be the one to live with the consequences. If they are deceived, or are less attentive than they should be, or if my father's business were to fail or the estate to hit a rough patch- I will be sold too." She set the teacup back onto its saucer with a definitive click. 
   "This Empire does not allow women to belong to themselves. We are assets to be traded and bartered. Sometimes for money, sometimes for power, sometimes for honor or glory. If we are happy, then it is a pleasant accident, but not the goal, and carries very little weight while others decide how we will be allowed to spend the rest of our lives." The Baroness was now looking at her with a more respectful, but still wary, gaze. Gwendolyn, now long used to hearing Liberty's view on society, settled back with a small plate of scones topped with cream from the refreshment tray. 
   "I, personally, know that I am worth much more than that. If I ever marry, it will be because I want to. Or at least to my own advantage, not for the advantage of others.” She sighed ruefully at the muffled snort the Baroness let slip. “I am aware how privileged I am to even be able to contemplate that. Which I why I am doing any of this. I want to open up new paths for women in the Empire." Seeing the dubious look on the woman's face, she held up a hand to keep her from speaking. "I know how difficult what I am attempting to do is. It will take resources and power that usually would take years and a lot of powerful connections to amass. That is why I am here. I don't want to hire you to help me become a courtesan or to run a brothel. I want to hire you to start an information network."
   This had the woman pausing. "An information network?" A glimmer of avarice slid across her features before her neutral mask slid back into place. Her fan, however, began to swish through the air faster.
    "I can see how that could work in theory. Men in power usually like to have a beautiful accessory on their arm to show off for other men, especially as they sit around and gossip over port and cigars." The disdain in her voice was clear. "However, information gathered this way is usually time sensitive and would need to be sold quickly to be of real value. That would make it too easy to figure out when and where the information was gathered, putting those gathering it in danger. To be discovered would be ruinous. It doesn’t appear to be worth the risk." She didn't say that she couldn't see the worth, just that she couldn't see it outweighing the risk.
   I've got her! Liberty thought.
   "Well, Melisande, the risk would be minimized because we won't be selling the information." The open calculation on the other woman's face had Liberty smiling widely. "We would use the information ourselves rather than just selling it for a few coins. We'll spin our threads and gather the information, using it to amass our own wealth and power, separate from the men we'll be secretly siphoning it from." The fan snapped closed, and the Baroness leaned forward, eyes gleaming.
   "We will also use the things that they discard or overlook. While men appear to hold most of the power, they don't have all of it. They scoff at the influence and intelligence of women, yet bow to the whims of High Society. Who decides what families can make connections and marry well by controlling who gets invitations to events? The Matrons and the gossip mill. The women. We will infiltrate the salons, boutiques, and tea houses where women gather. Soon, we’ll control the flow of gossip and by extension- Society itself."  The sparkle in Liberty's eyes was infectious, and all three women were now grinning at each other, though the Baroness' face still held some reserve.
   "This does sound like something that would be worth taking a few risks for, but it also sounds expensive. I know that the Blanc fortune is legendary, but even it has its limits. Especially for a daughter who is of marriageable age and will be expected to leave the family. Are you sure that your ambitions are not exceeding your grasp?" She settled back with a scone of her own and looked between the two women.
   "We are working with the most outstanding alchemist and artisan of our generation, and a team she has hand-picked to develop new innovations and patents. They have already begun to produce results. All of which will be under the control of a trading guild that we are forming. We will generate all the funds we need, and the information we gather will feed back into this and give us more wealth to use towards our goals. They, and Dame Halwind here, will also be equipping our agents with the means to protect themselves should anything go awry as well." Liberty settled back into her seat with a satisfied sigh as the hesitation that she had seen in the woman seemed to have melted away, and now she smiled unrestrainedly.
   "So can I count on you to be the black widow at the center of our web?"