“I love you,” Violet said.
“I know that. And I love you, too.”
“But sometimes, isn’t it just nice to say?” she asked.
He smiled. “It is.”
Violet sighed softly. “And soon, we will have a baby together, the very proof of our love for one another.”
“Indeed.”
Leo grew silent for a moment. A change seemed to come over him. Violet could not precisely say what it was, but he seemed to be somehow stiller. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
“No.”
She was not certain she believed him. Violet tipped her head back, searching his eyes with her own. “Are you certain?”
“I am,” he said. “I was only thinking about how fortunate I am to have you.”
Violet could sense that was not the whole truth, but she would not press him. She placed a hand against his chest and drew closer to him still. “You always will have me,” she said. “You do not have anything to fear anymore.”
“I know.”
But Violet was not sure she believed that either. Lady Priscilla had not haunted them for months, but there was still the possibility she might return. Violet wondered if she would ever feel safe again, and then she felt cruel for thinking of something so awful.
Lady Priscilla was a very ill woman, and Violet hoped that in London she would finally find peace. That was, perhaps, the kindest thing that Violet could feel.
***
When Leo woke, it was dark. He lay still for a long time, listening to the sound of Violet’s steady breathing beside him. Leo had told Violet that he had not been thinking about anything in particular when she asked him, but in truth, it was the baby who consumed his thoughts.
What if the fall had hurt the baby, and the physician was mistaken in saying that both Violet and the baby had emerged from the ordeal unscathed? Or what if the baby was fine, but the childbirth was too difficult?
The floor creaked, and Leo slowly turned his head. A dark figure stood over Violet, and still half-caught in the tangle of sleep, it took Leo a long moment to recognize who it was. He gasped. “Lady Priscilla!” he shouted.
Lady Priscilla took a step back. “No!” she exclaimed. “I almost had my chance!”
Leo sprang from the bed. “Stay away from my wife!” he yelled.
Violet awoke. For a moment, she did not seem to recognize the danger she was in. Then she screamed. Footsteps pounded through the corridors as the staff filled the room. Mrs. Gunderson held a candle high. A shrill shout tore from her throat.
“Why are you here?” Violet asked, edging backwards on the bed.
Leo stood ready; his eyes fixed on Lady Priscilla’s wild face. “Leo, please!” she exclaimed. “We can still be together! Don’t you see that? We simply need to be rid of Violet!”
“I never wish to be rid of her!” Leo exclaimed. “How dare you insinuate such a dreadful thing?”
Lady Priscilla fell back, looking stricken.
“Should we escort her away?” Mrs. Gunderson asked.
“I can fetch the constable,” Nathanial Jones said.
“This is terrible!” Emma exclaimed.
More footsteps echoed, and Lord Preston emerged in the doorway. “Priscilla!” he exclaimed.
His daughter pulled away from him. Her eyes darted about the room, searching for an escape, but there was none.
