Greetings, My Dear Herr Seiger.

Before I go on, I must ask that you forgive my appalling lack of letter writing skill. In my defense, I am not quite as accustomed to it as you, not having the need to go about it near as often. I am certain, however, that given time, you shall instruct me properly as to how it’s done. In the meantime, I shall strive to do my very best in hopes that my letters will not find their untimely demise in your trash bin.

That being said, I hope that this particular letter finds you very well. While I will share that this letter finds myself extremely busy, I will not share much more than that at this time, as don’t wish to concern you overmuch. (I know how you worry about me, though you have yet to formally admit to it…)

Let’s suffice to say that I have been enacting the very first steps of a plan of such grand proportion that you will no doubt hear about it’s completion even in Freiburg. So, all considered, my life has been so very full. It can truly be said that there are never enough hours in the day of a Captain, but her nights have far too many. It’s nights such as these that I find myself imagining you beside me, holding me as you did on our wonderful evening. While the thought eases my cares, my pillow provides a very sad substitute for perfection.

Oh, but I do go on.

It would seem that words such as these come so much more easily to me in person. I hope you will forgive my poor, but well-meaning & heartfelt execution of them.

Again, please keep me enlightened as to the state of Freiburg & Trague’s book. I am very eager to see it completed, for more reasons than returning to you, though that would be more than reason enough. I am actually very much looking forward to reading the results of his grand experiment. Unfortunately, I am rather at a disadvantage, being that I am unable to read Eisen. Might you perhaps know of anyone who may wish to read it to me? If not, perhaps that particular someone would rather painstakingly translate it into Montaigne…

I must admit, I’m quite ashamed at my failure to mention, upon our last meeting, that I have instructed my attorney to purchase the homes around my estate as soon as they become available. I suppose that is one of my small ways of planting my roots, so to speak, in Freiburg. While I am certainly hoping to retire quite well from my fortunes at sea, it will be quite nice to have an honest, steady income as well, & it does make me happy to see to it that residents are assured a fair rent for a change.

One final thing…

When last in Freiburg, I seem to have been quite distracted by the charms of a certain Eisen scribe & as a result had completely forgotten to leave something behind which I had every intention of leaving. You shall find the package in question accompanying this letter. It is nothing of any monetary value, mind you, but I shall hope, perhaps, for sentiment.

Well, I suppose that is all I have to share with you at the moment, except that I think of you often & miss you even more. I await your first correspondence with much anticipation.

Most Sincerely,

When my pleasure ship was taken by pirates & they agreed to take me on as one of their own, they were all quite aware that I was a Lady of Nobility, however the only name I would allow them was "Z du Paix". Therefore, they began to refer to me "Lady Z"- first out of mockery, & then later as a term of endearment. It would seem that, according to the captain, however, my name would become "Lady Z Take-the-Crow’s-Nest".

Ah, well.