Mercy Lewis and Magistrate Hathorne met formally when he stood at the Bird's Nest with the intention of detecting portion of the profits of the brothel, as agreed with the previous owner. Their speeches containing veiled sexual references were crowned with a toast. What Hathorne was unaware of was that his drink had been poisoned by the mistress with her witchcraft. This led to a second meeting, during which Hathorne, torn by Canker blossom , begged the witch to free him from the curse.
She only accepted on condition that he had become her servant, giving to understand that she was willing to a sexual relationship. The Heart Is A Devil. Mercy was willing to use the man for her own personal gain, by leveraging his influential social position among the selectmen of Salem to re-establish her name in society.
The two continued to have a sexual relationship, enlivened by erotic games that would be judged sinful by puritan morality. Mercy, meanwhile, made sure to discredit Mr Putnam in the eyes of the citizens of Salem and Knocker's Hole , highlighting the Magistrate Hathorne thanks to rumors spread by her henchmen.
The Reckoning. The relationship between the two deepened following the assassination attempt against Mercy by her former henchmen, freed from her witchcraft by Isaac Walton. At the bedside of the woman, Hathorne in fact refused to take the antidote that would have totally cured him from canker blossom, preferring to remain in the company of his beloved. The Commonwealth of Hell. When Alice Land and other prostitutes offered their blood to treat Mercy, Hathorne offered to wash away excess blood and the two began to plan their ascent as the undisputed lords of Salem.
Wednesday's Child. Their union was sealed by a marriage officiated by Reverend Cotton Mather at the Bird's Nest, with clients and prostitutes as witnesses. Mercy, however, made the mistake of trusting Anne Hale about her intentions to remain a widow soon, giving to understand that she was not really in love with Hathrone or, at least, was more interested in getting social prestige in spite of the means of get it. Friday's Knights. Happiness resulted from the marriage was quickly extinguished by the problems caused by Isaac Walton, who was urging the unfortunate citizens of Knocker's Hole to turn against Hathorne and his wife.
