I am a prisoner in this house but a prisoner of my own free will. I clean, cook and take care of Lucille. I am not a wife of the lord of the manor, I'm a servant and a nurse. I don't mind it too much though. It's a good feeling - to be needed. When I have a rare free moment I have a secret meeting with my husband or write letters to my Italian family.
My sister-in-law spends more and more time confined to her bedroom. It means more duties for me but also more freedom. I can move around the house not being under her watchful eyes. One day I feel bold enough to unpack my camera. I have always been interested in the latest inventions and that is what brought us together with Thomas in Italy. On the way to Cumberland we stayed in Birmingham for a few days and took some pictures together but we have no photographs taken in our home. So I intend to do it and Thomas promised to develop them. Obviously we haven't shown our Birmingham pictures to Lucille and we don't intend to show her the ones we will take in Allerdale. It may seems like a lot of deceit but I'm desperate to have some kind of memento.
One day, Thomas helps me to set up the camera and we take a picture of us sitting at the table with the tea set I find so beautiful. My husband is reluctant claiming there are more interesting things to put in the picture but I insist. He also takes a picture of Caro and me.
Another day, my husband surprises me with a phonograph.
'It was just laying around, I thought we could try to record something ' he says 'I have some spare wax cylinders too'
'What a wonderful idea. And when your sister recovers we can record her playing the piano'
'We could' agrees Thomas
We play with the device a bit, acting like silly children and when Thomas leaves I put it under the bed. I decide to hide the box containing wax cylinders in a forgotten linen cabinet in the corridor. Lucille will never find it there.
Thomas' mood brightens up when the ordered parts come and he can test them. He shares his entire time between improving his clay digger and tending his sister. I'm trying to do everything to keep Lucille happy. I even hired a carriage service from the town to come twice a months and take Thomas shopping. I'd be so happy to go with him but I have to play my part of a pregnant wife and stay at home. With the money we received from Italy he buys some treats or books for his sister. I'm a bit sad because while I keep getting legal documents there are no letters from my family. I give a couple of letters to Thomas every time he goes to town but all he has for me when he gets back are the documents concerning my financial matters, nothing more.
The house seems calmer, there is no howling in the fireplaces, no clay oozing from the walls. And although the days are getting colder, my health has improved. The snow falls and I can see the famous blood red clay seeping from under the whiteness. Now I understand why the place is called Crimson Peak.