Elizabeth spent the following evening home alone after John had sent a message to the Institute asking for Laszlo to join him for dinner. She had curled up in a ball on the couch, resting against the arm of it. Stifling a yawn, she looked to the clock on the mantelpiece and wondered just how long Laszlo was going to be gone for. Stretching her legs in front of her, she looked to the other end of the seat, remembering what had happened on it the previous day. Her lips quirked and she placed her book to her lips, suddenly remembering the feeling of Laszlo's body on top of hers, the way his lips desperately moved over hers.
It was gone eleven when she heard the door open and she snapped herself from her thoughts. Looking on, she saw Laszlo moving into the parlour and she arched a brow at his concerned expression. His shoulders sagged as soon as he saw her, tossing his hat onto the armchair alongside his cane. Moving to sit down on the couch, Laszlo sank down as she pulled her legs from the seat to give him space.
"What is wrong?" she asked from Laszlo, hand going to his arm and squeezing it gently. "What has happened?"
"It was not John who sent me a message to meet him this evening," Laszlo informed Elizabeth. "It was the killer."
Elizabeth's grip on him tightened and he shook his head, peering into the fireplace, looking at the flames as they moved in a rhythmic motion. Elizabeth continued to lean forwards, body arched to the side to watch him. He was in a world of his own. He was lost in his own thoughts, but Elizabeth wanted to know more.
"Talk to me," she pleaded with him.
Her voice drew him out of his daze, his hand running along her cheek as he examined her. He knew that this case had the potential to become dangerous. It could be more dangerous than Laszlo could comprehend and he had to ensure that he protected Elizabeth. Whatever happened, he could not let this case impact his personal life.
"Whoever the killer is, he sent messages pretending to be me and John to meet tonight," Laszlo informed her. "He also sent word to the Isaacson boys and Sara turned up. She had a letter that had been sent to Mrs Santorelli from the killer. He wanted us all to be there tonight to see the letter…to let us know that he is watching us…"
Elizabeth gulped, her heart thumping against her chest. Shaking her head, she took his hand from her cheek and clung onto his fingers. She paled and Laszlo knew what she was thinking. He could see the fear in her eyes and he knew that it was not misplaced.
"What was in the letter?" Elizabeth asked from him.
"I would prefer not to divulge that," Laszlo said.
"Laszlo, you do not need to keep things from me," she urged from him, but he shook his head at her. She squeezed his fingers inside of hers and he closed his eyes, bowing his head for a moment. "Just tell me."
"I have to keep you safe, Elizabeth," Laszlo gasped out in a low breath. "I couldn't keep you safe from Jacob…but I have to keep you sheltered from this."
"You did protect me from Jacob," she said to him, moving so that she was kneeling in front of him, holding onto his hands in his lap and he bent at the waist, his gaze lowered down onto their entwined limbs. "And I adore the fact that you want to keep me safe…but I am not actively involved in this, even though I could possibly help."
"Out of the question," Laszlo said firmly and she didn't bother to argue with him. A part of her wondered if she could still worm her way in, but she would be subtle about it, knowing how Laszlo only divulged so much with her. He wanted to keep her away from the horrors that he witnessed, particularly with this case.
"Then just talk to me," she shrugged, trying to act nonchalant and shooting him a soft, encouraging smile, lifting a hand up to tilt his chin back so that he was looking her in the eye. She kept on smiling to him and nodded her head. "Talk to me, Laszlo."
The man sighed and moved his free hand to his chin, scratching at the beard sat there before he spoke. "The killer expressed his disgust for immigrants and the poor," he whispered. "He spoke in detail about what he did to the Santorelli boy…taking his flesh…his eyes…he discussed how certain parts of the body tasted…the taking of flesh to eat."
"My God," Elizabeth whispered and Laszlo nodded.
"And that is why I cannot disclose anymore," he said to her. "The letter is with the Isaacson's who are trying to gather a fingerprint from it to see if it matches the other print we collected from the previous murder scene."
"And you think it might?"
"Perhaps," Laszlo responded. "What concerns me most is knowing that the killer is out there and watching us. He knows that we are investigating him, looking into him…and he is out there, Elizabeth."
Moving to his feet, he wandered to the window as Elizabeth remained knelt on the floor. Turning her head to the side, she watched Laszlo peel back the shutter and his eyes roamed outside onto the quiet, leafy street.
"It is almost as though he is taunting us. He wants to play this game of cat and mouse. He knows that we are discovering things about him," Laszlo mused and Elizabeth felt a chill run up her spin, her eyes continuing to watch the back of Laszlo. She knew how he could be when working a case. He was brash and had no concern for what he said, but the words he was speaking at that moment in time were enough to make Elizabeth scared for him.
"Can I say anything to persuade you to stop working on this?" Elizabeth wondered from him and he turned back around to see her move to her feet, holding the edge of the couch cushion in her aid. Her skirts fell around her feet and she clasped her hands in front of her. "I have seen you work cases before, Laszlo. I have seen you involve yourself with dangerous individuals, but this feels different. This feels…sinister," she settled on her final word, letting it hang in the air.
"Whoever this man is, he will not stop until he is caught."
"But at what cost?" Elizabeth asked from him.
"I cannot answer that," he responded in honesty.
"Because if this killer is watching you all…knows that you are looking for him…then I worry what might happen. The idea of someone watching this house, Laszlo…" she trailed off, unable to find the words that she wanted to speak. He watched her hands begin to shake before he moved forwards and took hold of her, enveloping her into his arms and he felt hers move around his waist, her cheek pressing to his chest.
"I will do everything I can to keep you safe, Elizabeth," he promised her and she lifted her head upwards, her eyes meeting his.
"It's you who I'm scared for," she whispered. "I can't lose you, not after all this time."
Bending down, Laszlo kissed her, his lips moving over hers forcefully, almost as though he were trying to calm her fears. He didn't know if it would work, but he felt her kiss him back, her hand roaming over his cheek as his hand found the small of her back, pressing her closer to him. He didn't know how long they stayed there, simply clinging to each other, Elizabeth finally giving him one final peck on his lips before resting her head on his shoulder. He closed his eyes for a few moments, stroking the ends of her hair with his fingers before looking back to the window, wondering if he was being watched at that moment in time.
…
Sara and John were the first to arrive at the Institute the following day. Laszlo had asked for a professional graphologist to come and examine the handwriting from the letter that they had been sent, hoping that it would help them get a better understanding of the killer. He was in his boardroom as Elizabeth roamed around the Institute. She had helped change the bedding in the dormitories in the morning before leaving fresh towels on the bottom of the beds. She was about to finish emptying the vases of flowers that had died when she noted Sara and John moving up the staircase. She remained at the top of the steps, peering outside and adjusting the fresh flowers in the vase on the windowsill.
She still remembered what John had said the other day. He had told her how she was too good for Laszlo. The words went round in her head as she heard their footsteps grow louder.
"Elizabeth," John spoke her name.
She stopped messing with the flowers and looked across to him. Him and Sara finally stood on the top step.
"John," she said. "Miss Howard."
"I meant to come and see you after the other day," John spoke and Elizabeth waited for him to continue, hands going to rest in the skirts of the dark blue dress she wore. "I apologise for what I said. I was angry. I did not mean to cause offence."
"I understand," Elizabeth promised him. "Laszlo can be quite…opinionated, when he wants to be."
"That is quite the understatement," John responded. "Regardless, if you are happy with him then that is all that counts."
"Very happy," Elizabeth promised him and he smiled, inching his head down in her direction.
"We should go to the boardroom," Sara said, looking to John.
They began to walk away when Elizabeth called after Sara. "Miss Howard," she spoke her name and Sara turned her head over her shoulder, looking over to Elizabeth as she moved forwards, chewing the inside of her cheek. "Might I have a minute?"
"You go ahead, I will be there in a moment," Sara promised John and he nodded, moving into the boardroom as Sara waited for Elizabeth to speak, her face holding an expectant expression and her brows arched on her forehead.
"I was wondering if you might like to take tea with me?" Elizabeth asked and Sara's face contorted then into one of surprise.
"Tea?" she asked from Elizabeth.
"Yes," the other woman confirmed. "I know this quaint little tearoom around the corner. Laszlo sometimes takes me for lunch there. I was just hoping we might be able to talk?"
Sara took a few moments to consider the offer before nodding her head and Elizabeth smiled gratefully.
"I suppose I could do with some tea after our meeting," she said to her.
"Wonderful, I will see you afterwards," Elizabeth spoke and turned on her heel, moving down the staircase and coming face to face with the Isaacson's as they entered the Institute.
"Ah, Elizabeth," Marcus spoke her name, a smile on his face. "I see that you and Doctor Kreizler have finally stepped out together in public. It wounds me less to know that you rejected my dinner offer simply because you are enamoured with another man."
Lucius rolled his eyes at his brother's dramatics, knowing full well that he was busy with another girl who their mother did not approve of.
"You really are full of it," Lucius said and moved to tip his hat forwards. "Miss Elizabeth."
"Lucius," she replied and he continued moving up the stairs while Marcus remained stood in front of the young woman, looking at her with an amused expression.
"Don't mind my brother," he said to her. "He's simply a bit of a bore. How are you anyway? I have not seen you in a few days around here."
"I am well," Elizabeth told him. "How are you? Are you still working on the case?"
"Indeed we are," Marcus said, hands going into the pockets of his trousers and he rocked back and forth on his heels. "Did Doctor Kreizler tell you about last night?"
"He divulged that information with me," Elizabeth replied. "Are you not worried? Do you not feel anxious?"
Marcus nonchalantly shrugged. "In our line of work you can't be deterred by things like this," he said to her and she guessed that he had a point. "We'll catch him. He's bound to slip up eventually."
"Just be careful," Elizabeth encouraged.
He smirked. "I never knew you cared," he said and she rolled her eyes as he laughed. "I'm kidding," he continued. "Besides, I like to think that I'm the one who pushed you and the good doctor together. If you ever need me to make him jealous again then just let me know."
Despite herself, Elizabeth chuckled at him, shaking her head. "I think we can manage just fine," she promised Marcus. "You should get up there before Laszlo comes looking for you."
"On my way," he said and took the stairs two at a time, bounding up them.
Elizabeth shook her head at his dramatics before heading for the playground. She found Charlotte and spent some time with her before the children were called to their lessons. Elizabeth confessed herself slightly lost, wandering around the Institute and moving into the entrance hall, looking out the window and onto the street by the door. She wondered if he was watching them now. Did he know they had all gathered here to discuss the case? Did he have any idea?
She was taken from her thoughts when she heard the door slam upstairs. Looking to the staircase, Elizabeth wondered what had happened before she saw Sarah descend the steps, John chasing after her as she tugged her shawl over her shoulders, hat slightly tilted on her head.
"Sara…Sara, wait," John encouraged from her. But she was seemingly ignoring him, rushing towards the door.
Glancing to Elizabeth, she looked to her and spoke in a haughty tone. "I will meet you for tea in half an hour."
It wasn't a question. It was more of a command and Elizabeth wondered exactly what had happened. John came to the bottom of the staircase and looked at Elizabeth, shrugging his shoulders.
"Laszlo," was the only explanation he gave her and she sighed, wondering just what he had done this time.
She headed up the steps and towards the boardroom, seeing that the door was wide open. Laszlo was stood in front of his chalkboard, looking at the words that were written down on it, eyes glancing around. Elizabeth stepped into the room, looking to see Lucius and Marcus packing their things away. The doctor remained in a daze, focusing simply on the board in front of him. Lucius and Marcus simply shrugged and left the room without another word. Closing the door behind them, Elizabeth dropped her hands to her hips.
"What happened?" she enquired from Laszlo and he turned around, looking over to Elizabeth and shaking his head.
"I snapped at Miss Howard," Laszlo admitted and Elizabeth nodded, moving around the table and running her hand along the edge of it. She stood by the window and peered outside, Laszlo moving towards her. "She challenged my own opinion and suggested that a woman might be able to commit these crimes and I snapped at her because everything in the books…the theories…they suggest that a woman would not be able to commit such crimes. I fear that perhaps I am becoming too blinkered. I see only what I want to see. I do not permit people to challenge me."
"Then what do you need to do?" Elizabeth asked from him.
"I need to speak with someone who might be able to help," Laszlo said to her.
"Then go," she urged from him. "And apologise to Miss Howard at some stage. I am certain that she was only just trying to help you."
"I do not doubt it, but I let my anger get the better of me," Laszlo said.
Elizabeth turned to look at him and she saw the papers on the floor. She arched a brow and cocked her head to the side. "You're not kidding," she mumbled and headed over to the papers that he had swiped from the table in his fit of rage. Crouching down, she began to pick them up.
"Elizabeth, you do not need to tidy up my mess," Laszlo said but she continued to pick the papers up, gathering them in her grip. Laszlo moved to the other side and bent at the waist, picking some up with his good hand. "It seems all that you do is clear up my mess," he whispered.
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth wondered, taking the final paper and they both stood up straight again.
Laszlo shrugged his shoulders. "I know that people do not like me, Elizabeth," he said. "I know that they find me forward and brash. I know what I am, yet you do not stop defending me."
"I do not defend you all of the time," Elizabeth shook her head at him. "I know that you can be obnoxious and brash. You hate admitting that you are wrong and you are even more stubborn than an ox," she said to him and he could agree with her on that. "At times, you speak before you think and can be quite insensitive to how others feel."
Laszlo gulped.
"But, at the same time, you are the kindest man I know," she told him. "You make me laugh more than anyone else with your dry wit. You would do anything for anyone, just look at what you do here," she motioned with her hands stretched out. "You aren't a bad man, Laszlo, not in the slightest. You just need to stop pushing people away who are trying to do nothing but help you. Just be open with them."
"It is not always easy."
"Then do what you need to do to try and make it easier," she encouraged him.
"Will you be alright?" Laszlo enquired form her. "If I am to go away for the rest of the day?"
"I shall be fine," Elizabeth assured him. "I am going to meet Miss Howard for tea in a few minutes."
"Miss Howard?" Laszlo seemed perplexed.
Elizabeth shrugged. "If she is going to be working with you then I should get to know her, especially considering my previous prejudice towards her…mainly that I was jealous that you had some kind of affection towards her."
"Not the case," Laszlo whispered.
"Well, I know that now," she responded. "Either way, I fear that I should speak with her."
"No doubt she will be upset with me."
"No doubt," Elizabeth echoed back. "But you can clear the air with her yourself."
"Hmm," he grunted back and Elizabeth wondered what went on in his mind. Then again, it was easier not to ask him sometimes and let him work it out for himself. Laszlo could be a stubborn individual when he wanted to be. "I will have Cyrus return you back home after you meet with Sara. Please, do not go wandering off tonight in the dark…just stay home…"
"I will be fine," she assured him. "And you be careful too, yes?"
"As careful as I can be," Laszlo told her. "And tonight, we can perhaps go for dinner."
"You wish to go out for dinner again?" she checked.
"Indeed," Laszlo said. "I will not force you to dance. I give you my word."
She laughed at that and Laszlo's own lips picked up at seeing her so carefree for those brief moments. She nodded her head. "Then I can agree with that," she said to him.
"I shall see you this evening, yes?"
"I will be waiting at home."
Laszlo hummed contently then, the image of Elizabeth standing in the hallway as he entered the house enough to make him feel a sense of joy and longing. He bent down and kissed her chastely before walking her to the main door, grabbing his coat on the way. He insisted on escorting her to the tearoom and she allowed him to take hold of her hand, lacing it into his arm. The walk was short and Sara was already sat inside at a table, removing her shawl and her hat from the top of her head. Laszlo bid goodbye to Elizabeth, bending down and pecking her on the cheek before she went inside. He watched her finally move to sit down across from Sara and he left the two women alone.
Elizabeth took the seat across from Sara, pulling her gloves from her fingers and placing them into her coat pocket. She shrugged out of her coat and left it on the back of her chair. "You haven't been here long, have you?" Elizabeth asked from Sara. "I did not mean to keep you waiting."
"I have only just arrived," Sara said and Elizabeth nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears. "But I confess that I am intrigued as to why you invited me here, particularly considering that I have just argued with Laszlo."
"Your argument with Laszlo is none of my business," Elizabeth said to her.
"Really?"
"Really," Elizabeth confirmed. "I know how Laszlo can be. I have had my fair share of arguments with him before."
"Yet you still wish to court him," Sara said.
Elizabeth shrugged. "He is not a bad man, Miss Howard," Elizabeth said to her. "He is simply a complicated individual, but when you get to know him…he is much softer than he portrays himself to be. Regardless, I came here to see you. I understand that you asked Laszlo about me when you met him in the park the other day?"
"I did," Sara said, not even looking awkward about it.
A waitress came them and asked them for their order. Elizabeth opted for a cup of tea and Sara copied her, saying that she would also love some soup considering she was on her lunch break. Elizabeth ordered soup too, not wanting to feel left out.
"And I admit that I was annoyed to begin with," Elizabeth said to Sara. "I…I let jealousy get the better of me, Miss Howard. I thought that Laszlo perhaps had feelings towards you after he asked you to dinner and the way he spoke to you…dismissed me that day when you came in."
"You were jealous?"
"Well, look at you," Elizabeth said, sitting back in her chair and looking over Sara. "How could I not be jealous? You are so strong, independent…able to challenge him…match his intellect…and I worried that I would never be enough. How could I be?"
"We do not need to compete," Sara said to her. "Society pits women against each other so many times, that we should not add to it, should we? Besides, you have absolutely no reason to be jealous. My feelings towards Doctor Kreizler are purely…I would say professional, but I am not sure where we stand right now."
"I understand," Elizabeth said to her. "And I agree, I do not wish to feel in competition. I suspect it is just that I am, well, particularly insecure. I imagine it stems from my childhood and the being with Jacob."
"Your husband," Sara said and she nodded.
"My husband," she echoed back as the waitress brought them their tea, pouring them two cups. Elizabeth reached for the sugar, pouring two cubes into the liquid and stirring them in. "Laszlo said that you had asked about him," Elizabeth continued.
"I did," she said, "but only because he was pushing me on another matter."
"Don't worry," Elizabeth said, resting her spoon on the saucer. "Many people are intrigued about what happened. I know about the whispers and the gossip. It is hard not to when they are splashed all over the front pages of newspapers."
"Laszlo said there was no truth to them," Sara said.
"It depends what you have read," Elizabeth responded and set her teacup down once again, folding her hands into her lap. Sara arched a brow and Elizabeth looked across to her, wondering if she could trust this woman. She had only told Laszlo the truth. She had only told him what had happened. She had let herself be slandered in the newspapers. She never argued. She never fought back. What was the point? Jacob's family could easily dismiss her. She was nothing to them. They had control over what reporters wrote about her.
"No one knows what happened," Elizabeth said to Sara, her voice low. "Only Laszlo knows the truth. He was the one who was there with me when it happened."
"It seems that you two have many secrets," Sara said.
Elizabeth looked at the woman before moving to her feet and reaching for her coat. "Come with me," she urged from Sara, not bothering to wait for their food. Sara wondered what she was doing, but she was already leaving money on the table and shrugging her coat on as she moved to the door.
Elizabeth saw Cyrus stood outside, clearly waiting for her. She told him that she would be fine, but he insisted on following a few paces behind. She didn't protest against that, but walked down the street, Sara following her and running to catch up.
"Where are we going?" she wondered from her.
"You'll see," Elizabeth promised her, not slowing down, her hands shoved into the pockets of her coat. Sara didn't bother to complain, knowing that Elizabeth was on some kind of mission. She moved through the streets and the crowds thinned out as Sara saw the church in the distance. Elizabeth moved forwards, pushing the steel gate open and walking up the path.
The sun beat down over them, the air cool with a soft breeze. Sara looked around at the different shaped headstones and the long grown grass. The graveyard was empty. There was no one there except for the two of them. Elizabeth veered off the path, moving towards a headstone at the back. She stood in front of it and Sara looked at the name on the stone.
James Stuart Morris.
"I was about five months pregnant when Jacob came home one night," Elizabeth said, her eyes focused on the grave in front of her. "He had been drinking, as he always did, but on that night he was worse than usual. He tried to force himself on me, but I didn't want to be anywhere near him. I told him to get off of me, but he was persistent, claiming that I had a duty to him as a wife. And…he asked me if the reason why I didn't want him was because I had been spending time with Laszlo. He asked me if I had been whoring myself out to the unorthodox doctor."
Sara's eyes widened and Elizabeth knelt on the ground, picking at the overgrown weeds by the grave and tossing them off to the side to clear the area.
"He had found out that I had been seeing Laszlo, but it had been harmless. Laszlo had treated my sister at the Institute and that's how I met him. He noticed a bruise on my face and…well…since then, we struck up a friendship. He tried to persuade me to leave Jacob. He told me that he would help me."
"Why did you not go?" Sara wondered.
"I had thought about it," Elizabeth admitted to her. "I was going to leave him, but I found out I was pregnant on the same day he beat me so bad that I ended up in hospital with two broken bones and bruised ribs. I couldn't leave him when I discovered I was having his child. Besides, Laszlo…I was worried for him. I was scared that Jacob would hurt him if he found out that I had been spending time with him."
Elizabeth ran her hand over the name chiselled into the stone.
"So I went back to him and hoped that he would leave me be. I was having his child and I suspected I had done my duty as a wife, but then that night…when he accused me of being intimate with Laszlo…I said things that I should never have said. I pushed him too far and told him that I would rather be with Laszlo than him…told him how Laszlo was twice the man that he was. He got angry and I knew what happened when he got angry. I should have known."
"It wasn't your fault."
"Laszlo said the same thing," Elizabeth replied and moved to her feet once more, hands on her thighs. "But I should have known. I woke up the next morning back in hospital and they told me that I had lost the baby…my baby…" she blinked, her eyes firmly shutting after stopping her tears from falling.
"You were not to know, Elizabeth."
"I should have," she responded. "And then Laszlo found out what had happened. I was back at home and he came to me. He asked me to come with him. He asked me to leave and not look back…that I could not stay with Jacob. I was so tempted to go, but then Jacob came back home. He found the two of us in the bedroom as I was on bed rest. He began lashing out. He had Laszlo against the wall in the hallway…his fists…relentlessly punching him…and Laszlo tried to fight back, but he couldn't. I tried to get Jacob off of him and he turned to me."
Sara swore that she had stopped breathing. She swore that she hadn't moved since Elizabeth had begun speaking.
"Laszlo tried to get his attention. He shouted at him, telling him to leave me alone and that he was the one he should be dealing with, but Jacob didn't listen. He began pulling at my hair, pushing me around…Laszlo got back on his feet and tried to help me, but Jacob…he'd dragged me to the top of the stairs and he was just hovering over the top step. All I did was push him. I just pushed him and he lost his balance," Elizabeth said, closing her eyes firmly. "He fell down the stairs."
Elizabeth turned to look at Sara, eyeing her cautiously for her reaction. She folded her arms over her waist and began speaking again, her voice nothing more than a whisper.
"Laszlo defended me to the police. He told them that Jacob had fallen on his own and he protected me…he defended me…" Elizabeth said. "He was so badly beaten that it took him three months before his injuries healed. He let me move into his house. Jacob's family…they claimed that I had killed him and they were right, in a sense, I did kill him. But I was scared that he would kill Laszlo. I'd never seen him look like that before and I didn't know what else to do."
"You did what you had to do," Sara said to her.
"I never meant to kill him," Elizabeth whispered. "I just meant to stop him from hurting Laszlo. The police never bothered with me after Laszlo and I had the same story, but Jacob's family…they told anyone who could listen what a monster I apparently had been to their son. They told reporters how they suspected I was the one who killed my baby…that I took something to terminate my pregnancy…they protected their son from being seen as anything but a respectable socialite."
"Why did you never tell the truth? Or try to set the story straight?"
"How could I?" Elizabeth asked. "Laszlo already had a reputation thanks to Jacob's parents. They suspected that I was already intimate with him. I'm sure you read the papers…and then when I went to live with him, well, it was hard to quash that rumour. It was their word against ours and in the end I was tired of fighting. I was tired of feeling beaten and I knew we would never win. We agreed to ignore what they said and move on. Laszlo kept the newspapers from me for months to avoid me from having to read what they said."
Sara shook her head sadly, looking back to the grave before Elizabeth bent down once more, pressing her lips to her open palm and then pressing it to the stone.
"Why did you tell me this?" Sara asked her.
"I don't know," Elizabeth admitted to her. "The only person who knows the truth is Laszlo…but…I think that a part of me wanted you to see that he isn't a bad man. He isn't this cold, calculating, bully who you seem to think he is…not deep down."
"Or perhaps that is a side of him that he keeps hidden from you?" Sara wondered and Elizabeth stood back up, shrugging her shoulders ruefully.
"Perhaps," she said, "but I sincerely doubt it."
There was silence between the two of them once more as the wind picked up and the breeze ruffled their skirts. Elizabeth tucked her hair back behind her ear as it fell from its place and Sara looked at her once more.
"You never wear your hair up," she observed.
"I do not," she confirmed. "He would always pull on it when we were out and I had done something to anger him…it was always like a warning sign…that I knew when we returned he would tell me exactly what I had done wrong. Wearing my hair up and the pulling of the pins…it reminds me of that. It reminds me of the pulling feeling on my scalp."
"Understandable," Sara nodded her head.
"And…what I told you…all of this," she said, glancing over at Sara again. "It can go no further. Please, not even John knows about any of this."
"And you trusted me enough to tell me this?"
"I hardly know you," Elizabeth said to her, "but I just…I know Laszlo and I know that, despite your arguments, he does respect you. He respects your opinions, but he can just be stubborn. I do not want you to think so ill of him."
"And so you spill your heart to me for him?"
"Don't you see?" Elizabeth asked from her, eyes wide and a sad smile on her face. "I would do anything for him."
She turned back to look at the grave and Sara's eyes roamed over her face. She could see the look of anguish there, but she could also see something else. She cared so deeply for Laszlo. She had just said that she would do anything for him. And Sara wondered if she had ever felt any emotion as deep as that before. She sincerely doubted it, but a part of her did want it.
...
A/N: No idea if anyone is reading, but I'm still enjoying writing this. Would love to know if you're still enjoying reading it as well! Do let me know your thoughts/suggestions/anything you'd want to see.