Anne watched as Charlotte made her way to the middle of the room, her shoulders back, her head high even as her skirts hung in tatters, and there was blood on her hands and face. Despite her appearance, Joseph flung himself into her arms, wrapping his arms around her waist and hiding his face in her fallen-down hair. Anne watched as her sister kissed the top of Joseph’s head and whispered something in his ear.

Had Lady Hartley guessed that Charlotte was not alone behind the balustrade, or did she simply count on her sister to surrender the moment she saw the boy’s desperate fear?

“There.” Lady Hartley smiled, smearing her own blood across her face as she wiped it with the back of her hand. “Sit, both of you, and I shall serve you. We shall have a picnic.”

Charlotte kept her arm around Joseph as Lady Hartley began to divide up the fruit with her gleaming knife.

“There are people close by, Catherine,” Charlotte said. “You will be discovered at any moment. It would be so much better for you if you were to lay down the knife and let us go.”