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Chapter 23 - The day after (2)

Amelia headed straight to the library. She had barely been able to sit still while two maids who she did not recognise got her ready to leave the duke's chamber, tapping her foot impatiently the entire time. Much to the servants disapprovals she decided to skip breakfast, in part because she feared that eating would make her vomit but mostly because she wanted to hurry up.

As she ran her hand against the backs of endless rows of books she started to feel overwhelmed. She knew exactly what information she was looking for but because she was only familiar with a small fraction of the library she did not know where to find the right book. It felt as if she was searching for a needle in a haystack and asking someone was not an option as she did not want her plan to be revealed.

Amelia intended on making use of the duke's promise to give her anything she desired. By asking for lessons she could acquire useful skills that could help her find a good job, she only needed to find a way to phrase her request in a manner that did not awake any suspision.

But before any of that she needed to find out what skills to learn. She was currently looking for information on what majority-female occupations had a high demand for a bigger workforce and what small cities or villages could provide her with the best livingstandards.

After becoming effecient enough in her chosen skill she would figure out a way to run away unnoticed. It was unlikely that anyone would bother to search for her once she was gone, she was not someone that important after all. As long as she dyed her red hair, the one feature that showed her blood-ties to the Ainswoth house, she would probably be alright.

She ended up staying in the library for hours but did not find anything that was of much use to her. The books about current affairs were difficult to understand and none of them described the commoners economic situation. Amelia layed her head on the table, exhausted and almost ready to give up. The duke probably had additional, more relevant books in his office but even if she could somehow get her hands on them it would not be worth the risk.

The only remaining option was to ask someone and the only person she could think of was Olivia.