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.
