Caroline hadn't wanted to leave her rooms. She had spent all day yesterday curled in the bed unable to hide the truth of what had happened from herself. Evander hadn't even checked in on her. He'd kept to his own room and then today he'd gone to work like nothing had happened. It was only at Hope's urging that Caroline had gotten out of bed this afternoon. Hope had drawn a bath and brushed her hair. Had coiled the locks up and picked out a dress and shoes. It was Hope who had urged her to sit in the sitting room and read until Evander came back, insisting she needed some normalicy.

So she sat on the couch a book in hand, staring listlessly at it, trying not to remember this weekend, the storm, Sanditon.

There was no hello when Evander flooed into the sitting room. He almost seemed worried, starting to say one thing but pausing then. Then his words hit her slamming into her like the tree branch that had pummeled her into a wall at the Sanditon.

Hurt welled up in her . Those were the first words he had spoken to her since the healer had left. The tone, the accustation, it made Caroline want to crumble to cry. She hadn't even had a chance to tell him the good news before it had happened. He only knew because of the healer, because of her own foolish actions. She wouldn't cry, she had done enough of that already. So she straightened her spine and looked right at those accusing eyes of his. "I thought I was helping." Her voice was strong, but there was hurt in it that she couldn't disguise and her voice was rough from the tears. But she couldn't let Nimiane out into that night, Nimiane didn't have magic to protect herself .