The Duchess didn't react at first. When she did, she shifted slowly, like a glacier threatening to tear down a mountain, or like a massive statue suddenly reaching for its sword. Tamsin felt a sense of awe and a sense of impending danger all at once, even though all the Duchess did was stand up straight and fold her arms.

"Tell me how you know my plans," said Duchess Jordaine.

Tamsin flinched. Less at the words themselves and more at the icy tone. There was a very real possibility that the Duchess was about to run her through... again. But she pushed through the fear.

"I can't," said Tamsin. "I can't tell you how I know."

Duchess Jordaine's eyes narrowed. "Can't, or won't?"

"Can't, Your Grace," replied Tamsin. "If I had any choice in the matter I would gladly tell you everything, although I doubt you would believe my story if I did."

The Duchess took two steps towards Tamsin, examining her closely, a thoughtful hand on her chin.

Once, when Tamsin was younger, she had been trying to escape a dinner party when she crossed paths with a wolf in the forest. Wolves weren't super common in Gwedric, so she hadn't been on the lookout for one—she'd met its eyes almost by accident, as she looked towards the sunset. Tamsin had been shocked by the calmness in the creature's eyes as it sized up whether or not she was prey. Tamsin was only able to start breathing again after the wolf disappeared farther into the woods, having decided Tamsin wasn't worth the trouble of eating.

The Duchess was now looking at her the same way, and Tamsin discovered she was holding her breath.

"Are you protecting someone?" asked the Duchess. "Or perhaps you're a spy working for my cousin."

Against her best wishes, Tamsin was starting to shake slightly, and she had to consciously remind herself to breathe. Her mind was full of the feeling of a sword through her guts. But she couldn't let herself be overwhelmed. She pushed past it.

"In a way, you could say I'm protecting someone," said Tamsin. Her voice came out squeaky. Tamsin cleared her throat and continued. "But not the person who told me of your plans. They could die for all I care. But I can't tell you any more than that. The circumstances in which I learned what I know specifically preclude me from telling you anything about how I know what I know."

The Duchess took another step forward. She was almost touching Tamsin now, towering over her so Tamsin had to strain her neck to look up at the imposing woman.

"I could torture you," said the Duchess. "Bring you to the brink of death until you have no choice but to tell me the source of your information."

"Yes," said Tamsin, her voice squeaking again. "You could do that."

"And knowing that, you still won't tell me?"

"No," said Tamsin. "I won't."

Duchess Jordaine took several steps back and regarded Tamsin from a distance. Tamsin was highly aware of how pathetic she must look, speaking such defiant words while she was trembling in her brother's boots.

"Listen..." said Tamsin, trying to muster her courage. "As I see it, you have two options. You can either marry me and I can help you achieve your goals without need for any further bloodshed. Or you can send me home and soon enough, we'll both be gone from this world."

"You would threaten me, in this situation?" asked the Duchess, incredulously.

"It's not a threat," said Tamsin, the words tumbling out of her at high speed. She didn't want to be misunderstood. "You could say it's more of a... divine prophecy. I won't have anything to do with it, but if you send me home, that's what will happen."

The Duchess stared at her for a long minute, and Tamsin could feel her fate hanging in the air by a thread.

The Duchess scoffed. Or maybe it was a laugh?

"You're a very brave woman," said the Duchess, looking at Tamsin with an amused expression.

"Am I?" asked Tamsin. She couldn't tell if the Duchess was making fun of her or not.

The Duchess let out a dramatic sigh and sat down heavily in her chair. "Fine," she said. "I thought you seemed like a nice young woman, so I wanted to spare you from—" She gestured vaguely. "All this, if I could. But I can't afford to have you running around out of my sight, knowing what you know."

"I would never tell anyone," said Tamsin, insistently.

The Duchess laughed again, in a single spurt, like she was trying to hold it back. "That's not what you're supposed to say when you're blackmailing someone."

"I'm not blackmailing you!" protested Tamsin, mildly offended. Then she thought about it. "I mean... I suppose, it's technically true that I'm blackmailing you, sort of, but—"

"Ah," said the Duchess, the side of her mouth twitching up in a wry smile. "But what's technically true is what's really important, isn't it? You've demonstrated that rather thoroughly today."

Tamsin wasn't sure how to respond to that.

Duchess Jordaine rang a bell that was on her desk, and Hugo stepped back into the room. Meanwhile, the Duchess scribbled something on a piece of paper.

She folded the paper and handed it to Hugo. "Have someone deliver this Viscount Wescotte," she said. "And send Judith back in here, I need her to help me draw up a contract. After that, you can help Lady Tamsin to prepare."

"Prepare? Prepare for what?" asked Tamsin.

"Our wedding, of course," said the Duchess. "Many of my ministers will oppose this, so it's better to get it over with before they can complain."

Tamsin felt a rush of relief as the threat of immediate death was once again pushed further into the distance.

She had done it. She had succeeded in winning the Duchess over. For now.

"Would you like me to prepare any special decorations for the occasion?" asked Hugo. "A cake, perhaps? I'm sure that if I woke up the chef she would be able to throw something together."

The Duchess rolled her eyes at Hugo. "Don't look so smug," she said. "I know you've been in favor of this from the start."

"I'm in favor of anything that prevents an unnecessary waste of resources," said Hugo, flatly. His expression was diplomatically neutral, but Tamsin could sense a faint smugness about him. Something about the slight wrinkle at the corner of his eyes seemed to be saying 'I told you so.'

The Duchess sighed and shook her head. "No, don't wake up the chef. And don't bother with decorations," she said. "We don't need anything fancy. But for the ceremony to be valid, we'll need a witness each. Hugo, you'll be my witness."

Hugo gave a bow of acknowledgment.

Duchess Jordaine turned to Tamsin. "We won't have time to send for anyone from Gwedric, but tradition dictates that you have a right to choose your own witness. Would you like your old soldier to do it? Or I could offer some suggestions for someone suitable from my court."

"Oh... Oh, yes. Um..." Tamsin had been so focused on convincing the Duchess to marry her that she hadn't really thought about what came next after she agreed. "I would like Captain Frieg to do it, if possible."

Duchess Jordaine nodded towards Hugo. "Send for this Captain Frieg as well, then. We will all meet at the Ashen Chapel within an hour. I want to get some sleep at some point tonight."

"Of course, your grace," said Hugo. He bowed towards Tamsin. "Please follow me, my lady."