Geraldine,

Very well. I can’t in good conscience let those puppets running loose. Tell your father about the marionettes but nothing else.

My mother would tell secrets to her wards, trusting her natural charisma to secure their loyalty. It was a workable strategy for a long time, and she recruited many to her way of thinking, but it was not ironclad, and I am not as charming, my life not as carefree. Tell me, how well do you understand the history of slavery in this country? How well do you know the other histories outside of the Bible’s? I know you know that the world is much bigger than the sliver you can see from Henshaw, but do you understand how large it is? The founders of this country and their descendants set the country in their image, stripping out facts and perspectives that wouldn’t benefit them. The result is that too much foreign knowledge drives your people mad. It’s a miracle that you even learned werewrightwork on your own.

I do not want you to end up like my mother’s last protege. What he did to my mother, I do not want to have you do to me. I do not fear this as much as I do losing my life, or of the townsfolk at large losing their lives, but I do. They destroyed each other utterly save that they both live - if you can call it living. You deserve better. And to do that, I will succeed where my mother failed. I will be someone you can trust in full.

I will continue to take care of my own safety. I am no wizard but I am not helpless in the face of death. There’s no need for you to risk the circus again. If you must help, I’d like you to investigate Mrs. Hane’s bruises, as you said you’d do. She may be able to help me and, if not, I should provide assistance before another tragedy arrives.