Darline's Arc

Chapter 4 of 13

Darline started hearing about the operations four days after Lovelock mentioned his plans. The first came from a merchant who'd stopped at The Fat Cow to rest his horses. He'd seen a plot near Prescott with roses that matched the description—thick stems, double petals, blooming weeks ahead of schedule. By the end of the week, she'd counted five different operations. Two near settlements along the eastern trade route. One behind a warehouse in the next county. Another tucked beside a ranch she'd never heard of until a supplier mentioned it while paying his tab. Each one sprouted pink roses that bloomed impossibly early, layered petals catching the light like they'd been kissed by something unnatural. Darline filled three pages in her notebook with locations, dates, and names of the buyers Lovelock had sold to. She realized she didn't need to wait for Lovelock to spread the secret anymore—he already had. Silas's threat meant nothing now. The burial ground soil wasn't a secret worth protecting when half the territory was already using it. She closed her notebook and smiled. The florists in town didn't know it yet, but their scandals were about to become her favorite subject again.