Something about that belief disturbed me. Or maybe the disturbance was that a small part of me was questioning the belief, which was itself an infraction of the law. So would I contract the rash as well?

“I’ll have this rash until I’m a better example,” Evelyn said. Her bottom lip started to quiver slightly, and she dropped her voice to a whisper. “But I’m afraid.”

I gently held her arm, hoping my touch offered her some comfort. “Afraid of what?”

“Afraid that I’ll never be good enough to be clean.” Tears welled in her eyes, and I wanted to hold her close. But when I placed my arm around her back, she pushed me away. “You can’t touch me that way,” she snapped.

I withdrew, embarrassed, and finished my work in an uncomfortable silence. I removed the gloves, recapped the ointment, and stood.

“Do you need anything else?” I asked. “I could make you some of that peppermint tea you like so much.”

She looked at me hesitantly. “Do you think Mother would approve?”

“You’re sick, so of course she would.”

A small sparkle ignited in the corner of her eye, and she gave me a half smile. “That would be nice,” she said.

“I’ll be right back.”

After returning the ointment to the bathroom, I hurried downstairs to put on the teapot, satisfied by the small smile I’d coaxed out of Evelyn. Then I headed into the living room to check on Levi and Stephen. But Stephen was gone.

“Where’s your brother?” I asked Levi.

He looked up from his book and shrugged. I glanced around the room, moved to check behind the couch and curtains, then Rose’s office. No sign of him.

“Stephen?” I called. No reply. “Levi, when did your brother leave?”

“I don’t know,” he said, annoyed. I gave him a warning look, and he put his book down on his knees. “I didn’t even hear him leave.”

I was moving then, full of trepidation, down the hall, past the staircase to the first-floor bathroom, dining room, and back mudroom. All were empty.

My heart was racing as I rushed back upstairs to check his bedroom. “Stephen?” I pushed open his bedroom door. No sign of him.

Evelyn’s worried voice came from her room. “Everything alright?”

“Yes, don’t worry, I’m just going to go get your tea,” I lied.

My pulse was thundering as I raced back downstairs, worst-case scenarios now screaming through my brain. He knew better than to wander outside, right?

I was moving toward the back door when I came around the corner and noticed the basement door slightly ajar. I pulled up.

I’d nearly forgotten Rose’s home had a lower level, because I’d never been down there. The door was always closed and locked. But here it stood, open just enough for a small person to sneak through.