His shoulders slumped and Rosa felt an ugly surge of satisfying power as she pushed past him. In that moment she felt the echo of every unkind word he’d ever spoken to her, each bruise from those crushing fingers, all those occasions when he’d made her feel that she was unravelling into pieces at his feet.

‘We cannot go on in this manner,’ he said behind her. ‘How do you imagine it will end?’

Rosa had no answer to that, for she did not know herself. He was right, of course. It was quite clear to her that her marriage was dead and could not be revived, especially since she intended to use the wish to get Esme back, if she should win, and so could no longer attempt to change Eustace in any way. Whether she won or not, the competition would soon be over, and what then? She could continue to remain living at Raven Hall within this resentful and uneasy truce or she could pack up her bags and leave. A great scandal would surely follow, but Beatrice had borne it, and so could Rosa. With her ravens for protection, she could start a new life somewhere with Ada. And Esme, she added. That was the point of the competition after all – to get her other daughter back.

Yet, as the opening night for her own garden approached, Rosa found herself feeling increasingly uncertain. Esme was dead and had been given a good Christian burial. Perhaps interfering with that was the last thing she ought to be doing? She had no answers, so she offered none to Eustace, but continued past him into the corridor.

‘Where are you going?’ he called after her.

‘To Beatrice’s pleasure garden.’

He made no move to follow her as she went down through the darkened house. At this time of night the great mansion had the feel of a ship floating through a mysterious sea filled with secrets, and Rosa was glad to leave Eustace behind and go out to where her carriage was waiting. Ribbons of frozen fog wound about the horses’ legs and made the carriage seem ethereal and strange in the lamplight, as if it were heading to a destination that was altogether not of this world.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Rosa arrived at Half Moon House shortly after eleven o’clock. There were several carriages there, and guests wrapped in their sumptuous winter furs, paying for entrance tickets at the gate. When Rosa handed over the invitation to the footman, he immediately gave her a ticket and waved her through without payment.