I lifted Sabina higher against my shoulder and smiled. Thatcher noticed; his expression shifted before he could hide it.

“Our roof?” I asked quietly. “Is that what you think this is?”

He blinked.

Beatrix pressed her lips together. “Vivian, this is not the time for whatever point you imagine you’re making.”

“No,” I said. “This is exactly the time.”

Chapter 3 — Before the Ashfords

To understand why those words changed the air in that hallway, you’d have to know who I was before Thatcher’s family began seeing me only as Thatcher Ashford’s wife.