The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

Hart feels conflicted because he knows that he should tell her about his identity as her pen pal before their real-time romance goes any farther. However, his resolve cracks when Mercy kisses him again, and he follows her upstairs and into her apartment. They kiss and undress. Mercy is shy and does not want to be demanding. Hart suspects that her previous boyfriends have not treated her well. They fall into the bed and make love as fireworks from the town festival burst outside the window.

Later, Mercy goes to the restroom and prepares herself to see Hart leaving when she comes back. She knows from past experience that most men are quick to leave afterward. To her surprise, he sits in bed, saying that he would like to stay. He adds that her bed is the best thing for him after his extensive time camping out and sleeping in the marshal barracks. They talk about their families. Hart tells Mercy that his mother died when he was 16, after which he met Bill and joined the marshals. She sees that Hart has two keys; one is his mother’s birth key, and the other is a funeral arrangement key with Cunningham’s. She teases him about having made arrangements with her business rival. He explains that he has no other family outside of his boss, Alma.

In the morning, Mercy wakes as Hart rushes about. He is late for work, but he asks Mercy to have dinner with him when he returns to town in two weeks. She asks him to write to her while he is gone, but he says that there are no nimkilim boxes in Tanria. She intuits that he has more to say, but the moment passes, and he leaves.

Hart is very late for work, but for the first time, he does not care.

That afternoon, Mercy walks to her father’s house. One again, Lillian asks if they can discuss Cunningham’s offer, and this time Mercy agrees. She finally tells the family how she feels about her work, explaining that while Zeddie and Lillian act as if she has sacrificed her own dreams for the family’s sake, she actually loves being an undertaker and does not want to give it up. However, she understands that the buyout is a family decision and that she cannot ask the family to hold onto the financial burden just for her. She does not expect Zeddie to give up his dream of being a chef, nor does she expect Lillian and Danny to put their own lives on hold to help her save the business. She understands that they probably need to sell, but she wants them to understand how she feels.

The family reacts with dismay and sadness. Lillian offers to run the office. Mercy and Roy explain that Cunningham has blocked them from their lumber supply. Lillian believes that Cunningham must be up to something nefarious, and she suggests that they find out what it is. Finally united, the family agrees that they will not sell the business, and they resolve to do everything they can to help Mercy. Later, Roy speaks with Mercy alone. He apologizes for placing all his attention on Zeddie and for failing to realize that she wants and deserves to take over the business.

For six days, Hart and Duckers remain in Tanria on patrol. Hart is tortured by his desire to return to Mercy. On the sixth day, they fight several drudges. Though they could take the bodies to any certified undertaker, Duckers begs Hart to go to Birdsall & Son so that he can see Zeddie. Hart pretends to object because he does not want Duckers to know about his new connection to Mercy. Then he agrees.

On the way, Duckers again berates Hart for his treatment of Mercy. Hart says that he has settled things with Mercy and promises to be on his best behavior when they arrive. They drop off the bodies at the docks, and Hart allows Duckers to visit Zeddie. Now that Hart and Mercy are alone, Mercy pulls him into a kiss. They process the bodies, then sneak upstairs to Mercy’s apartment to have sex. Hart asks Mercy to dinner.

At dinner, Hart worries about the letters but pushes the issue away as Mercy tells him about her family’s decision to let her take over the business. He is proud of her. He tells her a story about the time he found poachers who were hunting for dragons in Tanria and refused to believe him when he said that dragons did not exist. After dinner, they return to Mercy’s apartment, and Hart asks to spend the night again. They fall asleep in each other’s arms, and as Mercy buries her face in the crook of his neck, Hart tells himself that he will mention the letters later.

Though Mercy is sad that her pen pal has stopped writing, part of her is glad because she does not know what she would say about Hart. She is happy about her romance with Hart, although she does not enjoy seeing him injured after drudge attacks, which are becoming more frequent. One morning, he lies in bed as she checks his bandaged injuries and notes that they are healing more quickly than they should. When she recalls that her family will soon arrive, Hart quickly dresses and dashes out the back door, accidentally leaving his hat behind.

Moments later, Roy and Lillian arrive, and Lillian sees the hat. When Roy leaves the room, Lillian interrogates Mercy, who confesses that she has been seeing Hart for three months. Then Zeddie walks in and hears the news as well. Later that day, Mercy prepares a new body for burial. When she checks the appendix to ensure that it has been correctly punctured, she discovers a strange flesh-colored patch covering a previous puncture wound in the appendix. She checks other bodies and finds similar patches, but she does not know what to make of this.