At night, Alina, Austin and Maren met in Austin’s study. The door was locked. The desk was covered with Holloway’s handwritten papers. Maren had been reading everything in silence.

"We need proof that Ashby is still active," Austin told Maren, the minute she finished reading. "If we accuse him directly, he’ll deny everything. Holloway’s testimony isn’t enough. We need him to expose himself."

Maren nodded, already thinking.

"The payments continued after Holloway retired," Maren said. "That means Ashby still has access the accounts. Either directly or through someone else. If we can force him to use that channel, we’ll have proof that he is still involved."

"But how?" Alina asked.

"We need to give him a reason to move money," Maren replied and looked at Alina. "He has been interested in you since the day you arrived. If anyone can do this...it’s you."

Alina felt a knot form in her stomach.

"You want me to sit with him and pretend everything is normal?"

Maren nodded.

"You just have to do what you’ve always done," Maren said. "Just be yourself and talk to him. But this time, you’ll be the one in charge."

Alina looked at Austin. He looked worried but didn’t want to stop her because somewhere he also knew Maren was right. But he didn’t want to pressure Alina into doing what she didn’t want to.

"If you don’t want to do it...then you don’t have to," he said. "We’ll think of another solution."

Alina shook her head.

"I want to do it," she replied. "He sat in that library and pretended to be kind when he was the one who brought me to Ravenmoor. I want to sit across from him and watch him pretend to be kind one last time."

"Great!" Maren said. "Then let’s begin!"

The next afternoon, Alina walked into the library. As expected, Lord Ashby was in his usual chair by the window, a book open in his lap and a cup of tea beside him. He looked at her when she entered and smiled warmly.

"Alina. What a pleasant surprise. I haven’t seen you here in weeks."

"I’ve been busy," she replied, sitting across from him.

"I’ve heard," he nodded. "The palace and about Audrey."

She smiled and pretended to read for a while.

"Lord Ashby," she said, "I’ve been thinking about my father lately."

Ashby looked up from his book, and looked at her with concern.

"Why? What happened?" he asked.

"A month ago, I found a document connected to his debt. It was four times what my father actually owed. The creditor was listed as M. Voss."

She watched him carefully but his expression didn’t change.

"You asked me about him earlier also," he said. "And I have the same answer. I don’t know him."

Alina smiled sadly and returned to her book. She didn’t push him further, instead talked to him about poetry and history like always.

Once outside the library, she took a deep breath and walked to the study where Austin and Maren were already waiting.

"His hand tightened on his book when I said Voss," she said. "He denied knowing him, but his hands betrayed him for a microsecond."

"Did he suspect you?" Maren asked.

"I don’t think so. But he’ll wonder why I brought it up again and now."

"That’s actually good for us," Maren replied. "When people wonder, they become nervous. And nervous people always make mistakes. We just have to keep pushing little by little."

The same night, Maren set up a watch for Ashby. She chose two guards she trusted the most to watch Ashby’s movements, watch the library, watch his chambers. If he went anywhere unusual or sent any message, they were to report it immediately.

Nothing unusual happened on the first day.

But on the afternoon of the second, they finally got a clue.

Lord Ashby skipped the library and stayed in his chambers for hours. At evening, a servant carried a sealed letter out of Ashby’s room and took it to the stables. An unfamiliar rider was already waiting there for him.

But Maren was quick and intercepted the letter before the rider could leave with it. She read it, then resealed it and let the rider go, giving him a warning to not utter a word. The frightened rider agreed immediately.

The letter was written in code, but a few words were clear:

PLACEMENT. CHANNEL. ASHWORTH.

And one sentence:

"The girl is asking questions."

Maren immediately went to Austin bringing him the copy of the letter.

"He is still active and just wrote to the network about Alina. He is warning them about her."

"I’ll confront him," Austin announced.

"No," Maren said immediately.

"He’s warning them. Every hour we wait..."

"Every hour we wait is an hour they think everything is normal," Maren said. "The original letter went through. Ashby has no idea we intercepted it."

"So we do nothing?"

"We have the chance to track the whole network," Maren explained. "If we wait and watch where the letters go, and who answers them we can track the whole channel responsible for running the lives of so many women."

Austin thought about it for a moment then agreed.

"Fine," he said. "But if he does anything that puts Alina in danger, I’ll end him."

"Agreed."

"And I want Rowan involved in this mission. I want him to handle the tracking of letters."

"I’ll brief him tomorrow," Maren agreed and left.

"Can you really do this?" Alina asked, the moment Maren walked outside. "Can you pretend everything is normal while talking to him?"

"No. But I don’t have a choice," he admitted. "But don’t worry I can do this. I’ve done harder things," he said holding her by the arms.

"Name one."

"Lying next to you for months without touching you," he replied.

Alina stared at him for a second, then burst into laughter.

"That is the hardest thing you’ve done? Seriously?"

"By far."

She shook her head, smiling, and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"Then...I’m glad you don’t have to suffer anymore."