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Chapter 1: The Proposal

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“Explain to me again why you’re marrying him?” I said. “He’s a total creep and raging misogynist to boot.”  I stared at Lynn with set shoulders as I waited for her response. Lynn glared at me over the laptop. I met her gaze and refused to blink. Lynn was my best friend. We had known each other since kindergarten. We shared nearly everything in common, except our taste in boys. Rain pounded on the windows of the girl’s academic dormitory, and I could actually feel the wind shifting the building. Outside, lightning spiderwebbed across the sky, and then the thunder rattled the windows. I hadn’t had time to draw a breath between lightning and thunder.  Lynn shook her head. “I’m marrying him because that’s how it is. That’s who I marry. Period. No way around it.” I picked up my wine glass and paused. Was it my wine glass? It couldn’t be Lynn’s. She was holding hers. But we were the last two girls standing tonight. Lindsay was asleep on the couch. We had held Sophie’s hair out of th...
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The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter 27

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We clustered at the door, listening as Leon spoke with Duke Xander.  “The court will use the escape of your seer as a pretext to claim Ys is flouting our laws. From there it is a short jump to declaring war.” “It seems that everything is a short jump to war in Hyperborea.” Leon said.  “You are not wrong. You see what I am up against. My people love to go to war. And war with Ys has been a dream for many for a long time.” “Any excuse will do?” “Any excuse will do, indeed. We need something to make declaring war seem unreasonable.” “Do your people care about reasonable?” Leon asked. “Agarthans care about reasonable. And so does Hy-Brasil. And if they decide that Hyperborea has gone too far, even his majesty will worry.” “So we need to make Agartha see this as a step too far. But wouldn’t they already?” “Not after the death of Prince Wulfric. Your seer kills the crown prince, and then a duke, and then flees capture. This is provocation enough that even Agartha would have trouble ...
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The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter 26

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Leon stared at us. Then he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He turned and closed the door. Then he produced a room key and locked the door. “Ren, you are caked in blood. What has happened?” “A little torture. Not all the blood is mine.” I said.  Fiona bowed. “I made a rash decision and acted to save my fiance. I apologize. I know this makes things difficult for you.” Vincent stepped forward. “She didn’t act alone.” “I was there as well.” Amy said. “So was I, your grace.” Laila said. Leon’s eyebrows rose. “You? Why would you help?” “Your wife saved me from a beating at the hands of Lord Agnar. They would not have escaped without me.” “My fiance.” Leon corrected. Vincent grinned, “She was talking with Monique and overheard us plotting.” Again Monique and Laila reddened.  Leon nodded. “Did you kill anyone?” “Half a dozen guards. Several monsters. And one feral giant.” Leon stared. “I’m sorry. Did you say a feral giant?” Fiona nodded.  Leon shook his head. “I could ...
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The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter 25

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We made our way back to the castle. We stayed in the shadows and managed to avoid the guards. I could hear the clamor of men back where we had left the carriage and the giant’s corpse. The guards must have found that mess. But it helped us slip back to the castle. The main gate was guarded. But, as before, Laila knew a secret way in. She led us through a cave at the base of the hill, and into another part of the catacombs. Twenty minutes later we were sneaking through the castle.  The castle felt empty to me. I suspected that the guards were out on the streets looking for us. We reached Lynn’s room and knocked on the door. Lynn answered and Quincy burst from under her dress and began dancing around my feet. Lynn stared at us. “Get in here before somebody sees you.”  We stepped into Lynn’s room, I grinned. “Lynn you don’t have a spare gown laying around do you? This one is kind of done.” I stopped. Monique was standing behind Lynn. “Your grace!” Laila stumbled into a curtsy. “O...
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The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter 24

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Sven was beating Laila and Ada as they covered for us. Meanwhile, we cowered in boxes. Fiona could deal with Sven in seconds. So could Vincent for that matter. But that would be one more body we’d have to explain. I didn’t like it. Each smack caused me to clench up. Finally I heard a loud crack and then a thump. Somebody had fallen to the ground. It was too much. I moved to climb out of the box and do what little I could to intervene.  “Out with it. Whose footprints are those?” “Husband, if you want to know whose footprints they are, then go track them back the way they came. I do not know. Hit me again and I will go fishing for luckfish.” That stopped me. I waited. Silence.  The silence stretched, and I waited.  Finally. “Learn your place, woman. I am the man here.” “And I am the woman of this longhouse. That is my place and you are standing in it. You will respect that, or you will learn the cost of refusing to do so.” “There is a general alarm. The duke’s murderers hav...
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