A/N: I'm so sorry guys! I was supposed to publish this Wednesday but I forgot! It was already done anyway. Here's your weekly chapter.

SHE LOOKED AT ME for a few seconds.

"They haven't done anything wrong. They don't deserve to suffer any of the consequences our decisions may inflict." My eyes widened, incredulously.

"And, pray, tell me exactly what I am guilty of. What have I done to deserve death? What have I done to deserve your wrath?" Victoria's nose wrinkled. Her complexion began to flush.

"You chose to marry him. And whether or not you foresaw consequences, here they are."

"I didn't choose to do anything! It was a decision forced upon me by my relatives! I was sixteen, for God's sake, and well aware of my state. I knew Matthew would never want me," I retorted. Her eyes narrowed.

"You lie," she murmured.

"No, I'm not lying. I'm probably the only person in this estate who will tell you the truth," I replied. Victoria stared at me once more in contemplation. For a good few moments, it looked as if she might even believe. Head titled at an angle, eyes squeezed in a squint, her lips drawn back with her teeth. And, for just a few good moments, it looked like I might have an ally. Or, one less person I could afford to not hold hate with. But then the frosty glint returned to her emerald orbs. Her lips withdrew from her teeth into a perfect grimace.

"Matthew is the most eligible man in the kingdom. It doesn't matter if you were only sixteen, you probably wanted him as much as every other maiden in the kingdom. Besides, she shrugged, even if you weren't lying, you still pose a threat." The hope that I hadn't known had built within me in the last several seconds was crushed. And the dam that held my frigid temper was unleashed.

"Mary and David Sill will perish slowly. And they will perish painfully, if anything happens to me. Or Eric. They might not have expected any consequences in having you as a daughter. At least, not these. Nevertheless, here they are," I told her. It was Victoria's turn to widen her eyes.

"You wouldn't dare," she exclaimed. I lowered my veil so my smile would show.

"Would you like to find out?"

🥀

I penned Blossom a quick letter in the solitude of my garden. I told him that I had his mail had been damaged in an accident, and asked if he would mind sending another letter. I expressed my deepest apologies.

"Blossom?" came a voice behind me. I looked over my shoulder. Matthew was standing over top of me. "Who is that?" I already felt annoyed.

"None of your concern. Do you, or don't you, possess at least the decency to introduce yourself before you address people? Especially when you disturb their peace," I reprimanded. He colored only slightly, but recovered with a quick mock bow.

"My apologies, madame. I'm sorry if I disturbed you," he said with his head lowered. I resisted the urge to laugh.

"Well, I suppose I must manage your presence now."

"I could go, his smile was most prevalent, I wouldn't ask you to endure anything you wouldn't want."

"Ironic, don't you think?" I asked. His smile fell. The joke was over.

And it was I who had ruined it.

I sighed. "What do you want Matthew?" He ran a hand through his hair.

"It's Victoria," he said. I resisted the urge to scowl.

"What of her?" I could see the traces of tears in his eyes.

"She's gone." I blinked. Gone? No, it couldn't be. Victoria wanted the title of his wife more than anything. She wouldn't just leave. I returned to my letter, unconcerned.

"She probably just went out for a while. Like I did before you assumed---"

"She left a note, Rose! A note. She said she was leaving. No explanation of any kind of where she was going, or why. Just that she was gone." I looked up from my letter to meet his eyes again. Could I really have gotten rid of her? That easily?

"She's carrying my child. She cannot just..." he trailed off.

"If it's even yours," I muttered. Matthew gave me a glare that practically oozed venom.

"What, exactly, are you trying to say?" he asked. I weighed what it would cost me if I told him. He would probably never believe me, in any case. But, on the other hand, what would it cost me if it didn't? It was now in my best interest that the divorce proceedings go as quickly as possible. Besides, I had Blossom now.

"Bert has seen quite a few things as the help," I answered.

"Meaning what?"

"Oh, don't be daft Matthew. What do you think it means?" He shook his head.

"She wouldn't ever do that to me. Victoria would never....she knows where her priorities lay," Matthew mumbled.

"Well you've said one thing that's true so far. Victoria knew exactly where her priorities lay. It was with herself. She wanted her place as your wife, there wasn't any real regard for you," I told him confidently.

"Then, why? Why sabotage her priorities? She would be my wife. Why leave?" he practically shrieked. I suspected that it had something to do with me. But, really, I had no idea. I remained silent. Matthew raked a hand through his hair in frustration. "Why were you consorting with Bert in the first place?"

"Why not?"

"He's our butler! It's not appropriate in the least," he said. He narrowed his eyes. "How do you know what he told you wasn't a lie? How do I know you're not lying?"

"Blossom is my lover, I said (knowing full well our 'relationship' hadn't even begun to reach that extremity), and Bert is a mere servant that would only gain nothing but a dishonorable discharge at the information I divulged. We both have absolutely no motive in lying to you." Matthew blinked. He sank into the grass. For a few moments, no words were exchanged. I even turned away to attend to my letter.

"I know you haven't a pity for me," he said suddenly. "I know, even if you do, that I don't deserve it. The way I treated you...there isn't any way to describe it, really. It was beyond despicable. Beyond deplorable."

A pause. Matthew turned to me, with incredibly sad eyes.

"But you have to understand, his voice started to break, I love Victoria. Love her. I invested six years into our relationship. I treated her with incredible care, let her get away with things she shouldn't have. I spoiled her...treated her so lavishly. Only to find out...only to find out that the child she carries within her may not even be mine."

He was right. Given the circumstances, I had very little room for pity. I watched silently as his right eye filled with a single tear. At that moment, I felt a twinge of empathy. I don't even think he was aware of it. Besides, I knew what it felt like to feel unloved. Unwanted. Like spoiled goods. I opened my mouth to say something, anything.

Then a scream, though distant, filled the air. We turned our heads.

It came from the Whitfield mansion.