It wasn't until later in the morning that he was finally able to rouse himself. She was nestled against his chest and mildly awake. They looked at each other and giggled.

"How do you feel, Mrs. Dupin?" he smiled.

"Still tired, Mr. Dupin," she chuckled.

"Feel free to call me Auguste," he said with a sigh. "I know that you may not in public company. It's fine. When we are alone, I have no qualms with it."

"Of course, Auguste," she whispered. He kissed her gently and moved to reach for his coat. Pulling out her diary, he adjusted the pillows to sit up in the large bed with her.

"Shall we read this together?" he asked.

"Yes," she nodded. Holding her close, he held the book and let her turn the pages for him. As he read through the diary with her, he realized that she really did repress all knowledge of her hometown when she left it. It was general knowledge for every child there to know what was expected of them. She talked about Stanley a lot, but not in the lovingly likable way. She only saw him as a dear friend. She did write that he did admit his feelings for her, and that she told him that she didn't feel the same way. He could sense the heart-break that Stanley must have felt for that. It also explained the jealousy.

As he read, he realized why she felt the need to end her life. She didn't want to marry into her family line. She didn't want to jeopardize the health of her children. He easily sympathized with her. When he read the last page, he found out that she made the decision to leave home after hearing of the betrothal. That her uncle and father came to the same decision over a bottle of wine. It completely disgusted him to no end, and he was very glad that she was his wife now.

"Unbelievable..." he muttered.

"I know," she swallowed. He set the diary aside and pulled her closer to him.

"I'll need to run into town. I want you with me," he said. "We need to get a wedding band for me. We need to fix your dress and get it cleaned. I also want to get you a new wardrobe. After that, well...hmm. Okay. Wardrobe will be done after we bring your hometown to justice. The wedding band and the dress repair come first."

"I am nervous," she admitted.

"My dear," he said with a soft smile. "as my wife, you have nothing to fear or be nervous of."

"Well, I do know that you might be getting stronger puzzle locks!" she mused. He laughed at that and could only nod. It could be possible.

"I think I'll leave my bedroom door open, though. Nothing complicated," he grinned.

"At least it's not detective proof," she giggled. At the wolfish look he gave her now, she squealed when he tackled her. He loved her far too much to admit.

It was twenty minutes later when they were able to shower and dress. He made an appointment at the jewelers and informed the seamstress of the gown drop-off for mending. The seamstress insisted they come in quickly. A quick hemming patch-job was an easy fix. They had both arrived within the hour.

True to her word, they were leaving with the finished dress within ten minutes. The jeweler was next. Dupin paid him for the puzzle ring service and had Marjery help him pick out a proper wedding band. Once it was fitted, and on his ring finger, the price was paid. Then they were off again.

"It's time to visit your hometown," he said in the carriage ride to the station. "We'll check on the Chief to ensure his health. I am also going to drop a line to Count DeMorgan. He offered us his aid. I'm going to accept it. We have half a day's ride ahead of us."

"I know," she sighed.

"I think I'll suggest that we ride alone," he mused. At her hard blush, he chuckled and kissed her. "It would make the ride that much quicker."

"It would," she smiled. He pulled her close and held her.

"We're almost done with this," he muttered. "Just a little longer."

"I want it to be over," she said and pressed herself into him.

"It will be over. Today," he promised her. Another kiss was planted on her mouth before he escorted her into the station. After thirty minutes, various officers were able to accommodate him. The Chief had recovered and was quick to help with this, too. The Count was called on, and reinforcements were being sent to rendezvous with their small army near the offending town.

"May I ride with you?" the Chief asked.

"Well..." Dupin started.

"It's urgent. I was studying the pages you gave me. I found something you need to know of," the man urged. "I need to show you, as we head there."

"I'll still be with you," Marjery smiled. Dupin sighed, but he nodded all the same.

"Very well," Dupin said. The Chief made plans to leave the carriage when he had to. There were others that would have room for him to travel. As they started on the main road south, the evidence pages were produced. He pointed to a passage near the end. As Dupin read it, his eyes got wide.

"Dupin?" Marjery frowned.

"My dear," he said softly. "you may have to wait in the carriage when we get there."

"Why?" she asked.

"Your town...may have had Occult dealings," he frowned. Her jaw dropped. "It states that there was, indeed, an oath done. To keep the town alive and running. There was a definite reason they wanted you back. Look. 'If any inhabitants leave this plot of land, may it go back to the Hells it derived from!' It looks like it includes any and all that lived on it. From what I can see, the town needed land to start on. They didn't have any of their own. So, they called on demonic forces to assist them."

"No..." she paled.

"And, since you left the town to be with me and live elsewhere..." he frowned hard. "a debt may soon need to be collected. It was fine for you to leave, but only if you moved back to marry. That didn't happen, and we have no plans to ever move back. I think...I just broke the cycle of the town."

"So...everyone will die? But...Stanley isn't there, either!" she said.

"About that..." the Chief winced. "he was found dead in his cell this morning."

"I beg pardon?" Dupin asked now. Marjery's jaw fell wide open.

"It was just a dried skeleton in there! But...it was wearing his clothes," the man said slowly.

"I think I get it," Dupin said. He thought carefully over it all. "The town wasn't on any maps, because it wasn't supposed to exist."

"But...!" she fretted. He looked at her and squeezed her to calm her down a touch.

"My dear, I saved you. I pulled you out of an endless loop of life. I think your ancestors were with each other to be constantly reborn. Up until today. I believe it was part of the debt to keep the town alive. I also believe that your parents knew that you were planning on leaving. So, in an act of desperation to keep this knowledge safe, and to save the town, they tried to marry you off to someone in the town to force you to stay.

"However, on saving you, we may have doomed Luxxon. The entire town. The moment we married, and you began to live with me...I think it destroyed everything the town was able to survive with. And by this, I mean that it was likely when you brought the rest of your things into my home."

"I wouldn't know...what to think...if it was true..." she shivered. He kissed her gently and smiled. When the tears started again, he was able to hug her tight. He didn't bother to bring out his handkerchief this time. He was consoling her the way she truly needed it.

"Hush, my dear. We'll know when we get there. Just like before," he whispered softly. He kissed her forehead and rocked her. "At least your sister will get her just desserts."

"Dupin!" she said with a touch of disbelief. He cracked a grin and squeezed her. The Chief was casually minding his own business by looking out the window. As much as he would have left them alone now, it couldn't be done. They were making swift time, and he didn't want to pause for any reason.