Chapter 32 Cousins At Her Side Harriet's gaze softened . " Doesn't your own brother treat you just as well ? " 58 +20 Free Coins Fiona chuckled , the sound light but edged with wistfulness . " Vincent is wonderful . The trouble is actually seeing him - he's forever stationed somewhere the wind has never heard of ." " When will Mr. Vincent return to Jexburgh ? " Harriet asked , keeping her tone deliberately casual . Fiona let the answer fall like a breadcrumb . " With luck , sometime next year . " Harriet wanted to ask a dozen more questions , but she knew she had no right to do so . Two years ago , she had kissed Vincent on impulse , a reckless act that sent him fleeing beyond the capital's walls . To this day , she had no idea what he truly felt in the aftermath . Meryl , moreover , would likely balk at a merchant's daughter joining the Niven lineage , and Harriet still had no strategy to overcome that hurdle . She forced a teasing lilt into her voice . " When he returns , he'll be expected to settle down . Prospective brides will line up from here to Crown City . " Fiona offered a gentle hint . " My mother has already raised the topic in her letters . Vincent keeps refusing . I suspect his heart is no longer free ." Relief spread through Harriet like warm tea . When Vincent left , there had been no other woman at his side , and the northern garrisons were hardly a place to meet eligible ladies . If someone already occupied his thoughts , it could only be her . Fiona straightened , eyes bright with purpose . " Harriet , there is one more favor I must beg of you today . " " Name it ," Harriet said . " If it lies within my power , it's yours . " Lowering her voice so it barely rustled the air , Fiona confided , " I possess several beauty- enhancing remedies . The herbs are rare , yet the overall cost is modest . I want to open a few shops to sell them , and I need a capable partner . " Earlier that morning , Fiona had quietly slipped one of her secret remedies to Penelope , a simple scar - removal remedy . It was nothing more than another note from the battered ledger she carried everywhere , a collection of half - forgotten folk cures . Still , it showed Penelope how serious Fiona was about the venture she meant to build . Harriet understood what Fiona meant . " You want to trade under the Fuller name , Fiona , and I 1/3 14:43 Fri , Oct 10 Chapter 32 Cousins At Her Side 58 +20 Free Coins can make that happen . But we need to be clear on three things before your dream gets a front door . First , I can already see your clientele . Your customers are the nobles of Jexburgh , women whose servants count their pearls . If anything goes wrong , the Fuller family will not shoulder the blame . I must test the remedies myself , even if that means you risk my learning the secret . Second , we decide how to divide the profits . Third , if the shop shutters before it shines , we must agree on who takes the loss . " Fiona clasped her hands , her voice steady yet warm . " I trust you , Harriet . Test the remedies as you wish . We split the earnings evenly - five and five . In the beginning , I alone will bear any loss , but when the doors open , you must not breathe a word that the shop is ours together ." Harriet laughed , mischief glinting in her eyes . " Make it four and six - my six . " Fiona's brows knitted , a flicker of storm gathering behind her calm . Harriet lifted one shoulder . " Otherwise , there is no deal at all . " Fiona opened her mouth , then closed it again , silence hanging like an unfinished chord . Harriet thrust a porcelain cup toward her , steam curling between them . " This is how business works , Fiona . Today , you need me , so I can certainly name my price . If you refuse , I will not force you ." Fiona weighed the cup in her palms , thinking of how few chips she still held - and how many she might one day stack . She then nodded . " Very well - your six , my four ." The finer points would take hours of ink and calculation ; this was not the day for them . So they set another date , sealed with the quiet promise of opportunity . Power was a simple word for the Zonfrillo family , where even the Imperial Troupe could be summoned with a whispered invitation . After parting from Harriet , Fiona slipped into the tiered audience hall and let the world of silk and song close around her . On the stage , Dream of the Garden Strollunfolded - a failed scholar , future in ashes , wandering into the Peach Blossom Haven where spring never ended . The singer's voice spiraled through the rafters - clear , tender , impossibly high - until every guest felt the fragrant blossoms brushing their cheeks . When the aria faded , Fiona exhaled . " The Imperial Troupe is spellbinding , " she murmured . " Impossible to resist . " Roxanne leaned sideways , curiosity sparkling . " What did you hear in it , Fiona ? " Fiona smiled , quoting the poet Lucian Lowell in a hush that still carried . " Mountains and rivers 2/3 14:43 Fri , Oct 10 Chapter 32 Cousins At Her Side 58 420 Free Coins bar the way , then willows part and a village appears . A dead end is never truly the end . " Mindy curled her lip . " Show - off . " Fiona frowned . They had all grown up together in Jexburgh's sheltered courts - quarrels , yes , but mostly affection . Mindy , however , seemed to relish ripping out the stitches Fiona had so carefully sewn . Fiona turned , voice soft but steady . " Mindy , I have to ask - what exactly have I done to offend you ? " Caught off guard by the directness , Mindy's painted lips parted , yet no answer emerged . Roxanne waved a delicate hand . " Fiona was only sharing a feeling - there's no harm in that . " Fiona offered Roxanne a bright , grateful smile , sunshine after rain . Mindy would never defy Roxanne in public ; she folded her fan and surrendered to silence . Soren did not appear until the very last moment , just as the musicians raised their bows and the servants prepared to swing the doors wide . Dust still clung to his boots from the road , yet not a trace of weariness marred his poise . He had changed into a smoky - blue robe trimmed with subtle silk embossing , the collar rising like the cool edge of winter air around his throat . The chill dignity of him was as alluring as plum blossoms in snow , and his dark eyes threatened to pull every watching woman into their depths . Indeed , he drew more admiring glances than the birthday girl herself ; Fiona half suspected many of that night's guests had come only for a brief sight of the third son of the Zonfrillo family . Naomi , the birthday girl , beamed with a warmth she had shown to none of her cousins . She clapped him lightly on the shoulder , unable to hide her relief . " Soren , is it all resolved ? " Naomi asked .