Since December of 1887, the Lestrange household had only be the home of one daughter. Publicly, one daughter was all that Tiberius and Antigone had, the other have perished of a poorly explained but perfectly reasonably childhood illness shortly after her younger brother was stillborn. Privately, both of their daughters were still very much alive, but that was a fact known only to Tiberius, Antigone, and two nurses who had been sworn to secrecy. One girl spent a month at Oakshire Hall, with the nurse who was a member of the regular household staff, while the other spent a month at a little cottage Tiberius had rented for the purpose in the distant countryside, under the care of a nurse hired specifically for that purpose. Once a month, the two girls traded places — ostensibly so that the parents could monitor the growth and progress of both to determine which was the superior child, though Tiberius would be the first to admit he had been shirking his parental duties, and he knew Antigone wasn't paying them regular visits, given that she'd spent half of the past year running around in the words like a feral cat.

The arrangement had proceeded comfortably for over a year, but nothing good could last. After asking for an audience via letter, the nurse for the secondary location, one Mrs. Phillips, had threatened to reveal their secret to the papers unless she was given a good deal more money. So, naturally, Tiberius had killed her.

After ordering a house elf to dispose of the body (house elves, were, in this respect, far superior to human servants), Tiberius had realized that this left one glaring problem: the other girl, still, presumably, safe and sound at the cottage in the country but now left regrettably without a caretaker.

He arrived in his wife's bedroom unannounced, but found her at home — since he'd taken her wand away in a bid to instill in her a new sense of propriety, she had been home more often than not when he wanted her, which was refreshing. "We need to talk," he said simply, dismissing the lady's maid who was helping her to dress with a look and a gesture.