I knocked over the first vial I saw. Another, and another. I picked up a chair and swung it through the cabinet, destroying both Victor’s chemicals and the Frankenstein family china. I did not realize I was screaming until at last my destructive energy had spent itself. The room reeked of his materials; refuse added to the disaster on the floor.

I walked to the door bearing the Frankenstein family crest. “Do you think you can tear this down, Adam? I need to start a fire.”

He grunted in wordless assent. He easily tore the door off its hinges with his enormous hands, then threw it into the middle of the room. The second door followed. Adam went through the rest of the house, smashing furniture. Mary slowly dragged the trunk of money out with her one good arm while I retrieved the supplies I had hidden to use to kill Adam when I did not understand who the monster really was.

We threw it all together and formed a pyre in the middle of the dining hall. It was time to burn my history here, once and for all. We would rise from the ashes, reborn. Adam. Mary. And myself.

I took a match from the stove in the kitchen, then paused. “We should check the servants’ quarters. I would hate to murder someone by accident.”

“We only plan to do that on purpose,” Mary added helpfully. “But if anyone were here, I think they would have responded to all the noise.”

“The servants left when Victor returned,” Adam said. “I have been watching.”

“Good.”

“Should we place the body on top?”

I looked at the ruined form of Judge Frankenstein. He had claimed me and held me captive, seeking to possess me for my money. He was not as bad as his son. But he was certainly part of the reason Victor was who he was.

“This is not for him. This is for me.” I threw the match onto the pyre. We stayed until the fire drove us from the house. Then we stood, side by side, and watched as Frankenstein Manor was consumed.

“What do we do now?” Mary asked.

“Victor said he would chase me to the ends of the earth. I think I should make it a challenge for him.”

Mary laughed. “I would love to make him suffer.”

“You cannot mean to come with me! My road will be long and lonely and dangerous.”

She stared ahead at the flames. “My uncle is dead. I loved the bookshop because I loved him. If I returned to it, I would spend the next years fighting to keep it and eventually losing it because I am a single woman and such is the nature of the law. Besides, Victor knows I know the truth about him. I cannot imagine he will forgive or forget my role.”