That little kitchen maid had better not to try and stop her from seeing her husband, she decided upon hearing that Christopher was ill; she was still his lawful wife, while the girl was nothing but his mistress.
However, Valentine didn't utter a word as she stepped aside and let her in. She looked tired, and so very young that for a fleeting moment Sylvia felt sorry for her.
"How is he?" she enquired in a softer tone than she'd originally intended.
"Chest infection," the younger woman replied wearily. "His doctor is hopeful that he's going to recover completely."
An uneasy silence fell as the two women stared at each other. As much as Sylvia wanted to blame the other for taking Christopher away from her, the truth was that she'd lost him years before, and it'd been her own fault if anything; it was much too late to change that.
"May I see him?" she asked at length, and Valentine bowed her head in agreement.
They would never be able to respect each other, but they could settle for this fragile truce for Christopher's sake.
For the time being, at the very least.