Standing at the front of the church, Laszlo was doing everything he could not to appear nervous. He had told himself that there was absolutely nothing to be worried about. Things would go smoothly. Everything would go as well as it possibly could. The ceremony was small, both Laszlo and Elizabeth had agreed to that. Sara Howard was sat in the front pew with the Isaacson brothers while John stood besides Laszlo, dressed in his smartest wedding suit. Laszlo adjusted the flower in the lapel of his suit jacket before moving his fingers to his bowtie, his hat on top of his head.

"You need to stop fidgeting," John commented to Laszlo as he caught the eye of Cyrus and Stevie, nodding at them as they entered the church. That meant Elizabeth was here.

"I am not fidgeting," Laszlo defended himself.

John scoffed. "You haven't stood still since we got here," he said to his friend. "And you…how does it feel?"

"How does what feel?" Laszlo questioned from him, turning to look to him and waiting patiently until he heard the wedding march begin and he knew that he would have to stop talking.

"Knowing that you're about to get married?" John wondered and Laszlo met his eye and he saw some kind of wistfulness there. What was his friend thinking? Was he remembering how he had come so close to walking down the aisle once before? Or was he thinking about the future? Was he wondering about when he was going to marry? Or was it about who was going to be walking down the aisle to him? "What does it feel like? This moment?"

"I don't know if I can describe it," Laszlo admitted. "I pride myself on being rational and able to understand how the human mind works and why we feel what we feel, but right now, standing here and knowing that I will be marrying the woman I love…I feel nothing but nerves."

"Good nerves, I suspect?" John said to him.

"Yes, of course," Laszlo responded, nodding his head. "And excitement, I suppose. Excitement that we are finally to wed…to be together…after what seems like an eternity of waiting."

John's lips turned upwards and he placed his hands into his pockets. He rocked back and forth on his heels for a moment or two, his eyebrow arched on his forehead. "When did you know?" John queried.

"Know what?"

"That she was the one?" he clarified for Laszlo.

The alienist chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know if there was a specific moment," he admitted to John. "All I knew was…well…I looked forward to seeing her and spending time with her. I would be distracted until she was finally with me. All I wanted to do was to spend time with her and see her smile…see her happy…I couldn't think straight without her."

"And now?"

"Now…those feelings still stand," Laszlo responded. "I still get that same feeling in the pit of my stomach when I see her."

"Well, I'm happy for you," John said, moving his hand to Laszlo's shoulder and squeezing it firmly in his grip at the moment they heard the organ begin to play.

John had attended enough weddings to know what that meant. He took a step back from Laszlo and turned his head over his shoulder, his eye catching Sara's. She sent him a soft smile which he returned instantly before looking to the door and seeing Elizabeth walk in. She looked down the aisle and Laszlo remained facing forwards. John chuckled and moved back to his friend, whispering into his ear.

"You can turn around, Laszlo," he said to him. "She's here."

Laszlo nodded and spun on his heel, looking down the aisle as Elizabeth moved towards him. He drank in the sight of her in her off-white gown. The skirt was large, flowing around her legs with intricate detailing in the lace of it that ran all the way up to the bodice of it. Laszlo couldn't help but notice how her stomach protruded slightly from the dress, clearly showing that she was pregnant. The dress ran all the way up to her neck, a simple silver pendant hanging against the material. The sleeves came down to her wrist in a sheer lace fabric. Her hair hung loose, the veil over her face and her hands holding a bunch of pink and white flowers.

"She looks lovely," John was the one who spoke.

"Indeed, she does," Laszlo agreed with him in a whisper.

The music finally finished playing as Elizabeth stood in front of Laszlo and she knew that she had no one to give her away. Her father had been by her side during her first marriage, but now she was on her own. She preferred it that way. This was her choice. It was her choice to marry Laszlo and she was excited to spend the rest of her life with him. She couldn't wait.

Elizabeth smiled to Laszlo before turning to Charlotte and handing her the bouquet of flowers she held. She squeezed the girl's hand before she went to sit down, Sara motioning for her to come and sit besides her. Charlotte went over to her, perching on the pew and Sara wrapping an arm around her shoulders, embracing her encouragingly.

Glancing back to Laszlo, Elizabeth nodded her head at him as his own lips arched. He listened to what the priest said as the ceremony began, but he hardly looked at him. Instead, he kept focused on Elizabeth as her eyes flickered around and he eventually stepped forwards, pushing the veil from her face when he had his chance to. He felt her hands grip onto his once he had done that and he felt her shaking slightly. He suspected she was as nervous as he was.

"You look beautiful," Laszlo whispered to her and he noticed her blush at his words.

The priest turned back to the couple and asked them to repeat after him. Laszlo went first as John found the wedding ring in his pocket and tugged it out from the box. He handed it to Laszlo and he placed it onto her finger, promising to care for her in sickness and health. Elizabeth then repeated the vows and John saw Laszlo refuse to look away from her. He swore that he had never seen his friend like this before. It was novel for Laszlo to be so caught up in his own emotions, but he deserved this day. He deserved the happiness that he had when he was with Elizabeth and John knew only too well that she deserved it as much as he did.

Eventually, they were pronounced husband and wife and Laszlo bent down slightly, kissing her firmly on the lips. Elizabeth laughed softly, a hand going to hold onto his cheek. The ceremony had been short and sweet on Laszlo's request, both of them wanting to marry quickly. Laszlo grasped hold of her hand inside of his firmly and turned to move back down the aisle as everyone stood up and the organ began to hum to life again.

Leaving the church, Laszlo peered down to Elizabeth and finally spoke to her. "Are you happy?" he questioned, coming to the cool afternoon air where they both stood. Laszlo heard the footsteps coming up behind them from the guest leaving and she nodded her head, looking him in the eye.

"The happiest I have ever been, I think," she said.

Laszlo chuckled and bent down to kiss her once more. He could agree with her on that.

…

There had been no big, fancy party to celebrate their wedding. Laszlo and Elizabeth had agreed that the smaller the better. Besides, while they could invite people from high society, they had no desire to do so. Both of them were considered social pariahs, to some extent, but they knew that if they had a big ceremony, people would still come. People loved to gossip and a wedding between an alienist and a notorious widower would have caused gossip. And Laszlo did not want people gossiping about him on his wedding day.

And so they had returned to their home where Laszlo had organised catering for the day so that no one had to worry with cooking. Cyrus and Stevie were sat in the corner, the older man nursing a glass of whiskey as Stevie drank lemonade. Charlotte was sat with Sara on the couch, Elizabeth knelt in front of them on the floor, an arm over Charlotte's lap as the young girl played with the veil that was hanging down Elizabeth's back.

John was talking with Lucius, both of them holding glasses in their hands and laughing about something together. Laszlo remained stood at the back of the room, holding his own glass of whiskey as Sara removed the green hat she wore on her head, leaving it on the side of the couch and smoothing out the skirts of her green dress.

"She's starting to show, if I'm not mistaken," Marcus's voice suddenly spoke in Laszlo's ear. The Isaacson brother came to stand next to the alienist, a hand in his pocket as his other hand held onto a small canapé that he popped into his mouth after a moment. Laszlo turned his head to the side, glancing up to Marcus and nodding.

"You are not mistaken," Laszlo said.

"And how is she?" Marcus wondered. "After everything that happened with her parents…how has she been?"

"Hard to say," Laszlo admitted to Marcus. "She doesn't enjoy talking about what happened. I think she would prefer to forget the whole ordeal, but I know that memories like those are not easy to bury."

Marcus nodded. He could understand and agree with that.

"But I should thank you," Laszlo said, turning around so that the young man had all of his full attention as he spoke. Nodding his head firmly, he looked over Marcus and held his hand out towards him after placing his glass down on the sideboard. Marcus went to take hold of Laszlo's hand, but shook his head.

"There is no thanks necessary," he promised Laszlo and the alienist's lips tugged upwards.

"Yes, there is," he said. "You helped bring her home and that means more than you can know."

"Well, she's a pretty special gal," Marcus said and dropped Laszlo's hand, turning to the table behind him and reaching for a glass of champagne that had already been poured.

"That she is," Laszlo concurred.

"And what she has been through…what they intended to do to her…I imagine it will take time for her to recover," Marcus said, recalling what Sara had told him when he had visited her at 808 the following day after they had found Elizabeth. She had told then what she had seen when they had gone into the hospital. Marcus could picture the medical equipment as clear as day and he had felt sick at the images in his mind.

"I have been looking into Doctor Markoe much more," Laszlo confessed, knowing that it was his wedding day and perhaps not the time for business. "The issue we face is that everything about him seems to be in order. There is nothing that causes me any concern about him, yet I have a suspicion…that he knows what it is he is doing to ensure he doesn't get caught."

Marcus arched a brow. "You think that he has done this type of thing before?"

"I think that he knows how to perform abortions," Laszlo said. "However, what I do not know is if he performs them on women willingly or if women are forced to him as Elizabeth was."

Laszlo noticed the way his wife's hand held onto her stomach as Sara seemed to ask her a question about the baby. Elizabeth smiled down to the bump and spoke in a hushed tone, the grin on her face not once disappearing.

"My God," Marcus whispered.

"Indeed," was all that Laszlo could say back to him.

"And she…well…the baby is fine?"

"All seems to be well," Laszlo confirmed. "Although, Elizabeth is anxious and has become much more protective."

"Understandable, I should suppose," Marcus commented, sipping on the champagne and then reaching for another canapé behind him, popping it into his mouth. "After what almost happened, I'd imagine she's got every right to be protective over that baby."

"Yes, I suspect so," Laszlo could only say back to him, his eyes focusing on Elizabeth as she made a move to stand up and reach for the glass of lemonade that she had left on the table. Charlotte turned to Sara and said something to her as Elizabeth moved over to Marcus and Laszlo, a coy smile on her face and her nose wrinkled.

"Were my ears burning?" she questioned from them, taking a sup on the lemonade.

Laszlo chuckled while Marcus shrugged.

"Is it not custom for the bride to be the centre of attention on the wedding day?" he questioned her.

"When have I ever enjoyed being the centre of attention?" she responded and that did earn a laugh from the young detective who reached for another canapé. He pushed it into his mouth and chewed down on it, nodding his head.

"Very true," he said to her. "Anyway, I should go and make sure Lucius isn't drinking too much. He can't handle his alcohol."

He moved past them and Elizabeth took another sip of her lemonade and glanced to Laszlo, her hip dropping to the side and her head tilting. "What were you talking about?" she wondered from him and he turned his head to see Marcus speaking with his brother before he looked back to Elizabeth. She noted the way his gaze dropped down to her stomach and she nodded in understanding. "The baby, then."

"He was asking how your pregnancy was coming along," Laszlo informed her.

"And what did you tell him?" she queried.

"The truth," he responded with a shrug of his shoulders. "I told him that you were healthy…but that you were worried. It is completely understandable, Elizabeth, why you would be concerned over this baby."

"I just want the next six months to go as smoothly as possible," Elizabeth said to him.

His lips turned upwards. "You know, I don't think the worrying stops after those nine months."

"Oh, I doubt it does," Elizabeth said and she placed her glass down on the table next to the plates of food. Laszlo hummed for a moment, listening to the piece of opera that was playing on the gramophone. He chewed down on his tongue and contemplated what was going to happen once their child was born. He felt Elizabeth move her hands to his shoulders and he was shaken from his thoughts once more, his arm wrapping around her waist.

"You know I never got to tell you how handsome you look in that suit," she said to him and he saw that familiar glint in her eye. He laughed at seeing her and shook his head, bending down so that his forehead brushed against hers.

"And I know that look," he said to her.

"What look?" she played innocent and Laszlo cocked his brow and his lips continued to twitch upwards.

"You do not need to play coy with me, my dear Elizabeth," Laszlo said to her. "The party will be over soon enough and then it will just be us for this evening."

"I suppose I can try to be patient," she responded and he saw the pout on her lips.

He instantly bent down and kissed her, the motion soft and tender as her fingers tugged on his hair, trying to press him tighter against her and deepen the kiss.

"Alright, lovebirds, I think that's enough of that," John's voice called out and there were chuckles around the room as Laszlo felt his cheeks redden and Elizabeth tried to play it off, leaning back in Laszlo's grip and turning around to face the crowd behind them. "Besides, I haven't had a chance to do my speech."

"You have a speech?" Sara asked.

"Don't sound so surprised, Sara," John said to her and Laszlo picked up on the way he watched Miss Howard. There was that teasing look on his face and a gentle smile. He adored her and Laszlo could quite clearly see that. He only wondered if Sara would permit herself to feel the same way.

"Then please, go ahead, John," Laszlo said and Elizabeth turned around to face the rest of them in the front of the parlour. She stayed next to Laszlo, his arm around her waist as she leant against his side, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Well," John said and coughed to clear his throat. He shifted from one foot to the other and walked to the centre of the room, holding his lemonade, tossing the glass gently and slowly from one hand to the other. "What can I say about Doctor Laszlo Kreizler?"

"Oh, I imagine plenty," Marcus chipped in and they chuckled

"Well, perhaps so," John said. "But I suppose I should be kind because it is his wedding day."

They all chuckled again.

"But I jest," John said and held a hand up defensively. "I have been friends with Laszlo since our college days where he was a keen student…often holing himself up in the library and studying whereas I was a keen student of other, less studious activities," he admitted and his lip curled upwards in a grin. "It is amazing that we remained friends for so long because we are complete opposites. He is brash and as subtle as a brick. He has a tendency to rile people up. He can also be completely obnoxious and a bit of a know-it-all."

John looked to Laszlo, but shook his head. "But that is only because he is the most caring person I know. He puts others above himself. He goes out of his way to help those who need help. And he will do anything he can for them and I think we have seen that very clearly in the past few months we have all spent together. So, yes, while he can be annoying," John said and even Laszlo nodded with a laugh, "his heart is always in the right place…but now it seems that his heart belongs to another."

Looking over to Elizabeth, John noted the soft look on her face as she had eyes only for Laszlo. She would always only have eyes for Laszlo.

"The way these two met is not entirely conventional and God knows that they have gone through some hard times together," John said and Laszlo's arm squeezed Elizabeth's waist, feeling the need to reassure her that everything was well. "But they have come through the other end. They have faced everything that has been thrown at them and they have done it together. And I can still remember the day I realised that Laszlo was in love with her…he might never have admitted it himself back then, but I knew it when I saw it. I saw the look of tenderness in his face. I saw how he looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered to him…the same way he looks at her now."

"And Elizabeth," John said, "well, where do I begin? She is charming…kind…and she is able to give Laszlo here a run for his money. But, more importantly than that, she loves him just as he loves her. The two of them are so well-suited and I only hope that they will be happy together and, not just the two of them, but…well…the four of them now."

Sara looked to Charlotte and shot her an encouraging smile and kept her arm around her shoulders, squeezing them as everyone glanced to her. She lowered her eyes to her lap and her hands fidgeted together before she shyly looked back up and Elizabeth winked over to her and everyone raised their glasses once they had picked them back up.

"And so, I just want to say," John concluded, "that I wish them all the best in their life as not only a newlywed couple, but as a family."

"Cheers to that," Marcus agreed and Elizabeth pecked Laszlo on the cheek once again, looking around at their family and friends.

"Indeed," Sara added on.

Once they had finished toasting, Elizabeth squeezed Laszlo's arm and they both went back to enjoying their party for the rest of the evening.

…

Wandering through the park, Elizabeth kept her arm inside of Laszlo's as Charlotte ran ahead of them, holding a skipping rope in her fingertips. She was skipping along happily, seeming never to get tired. She moved from one foot to the other with grace, her hair bouncing around her shoulders and the blue dress she wore flaring out around her legs and against her white tights.

"Charlotte, don't go too far," Elizabeth called out to the little girl.

Laszlo watched Charlotte turn around and nod back before heading onto the path to the left. The couple behind simply followed her, talking between themselves as they went.

"Have you thought anymore about the nursery?" Laszlo wondered from Elizabeth.

"Not entirely," she responded.

Laszlo had told her that it would be for the best if they turned a spare room where he stored his books into the nursery. It was a large room with enough space for everything they needed. Laszlo had began to clear his books from the room, Elizabeth helping him.

"Anyway, there is no rush, is there?" she asked Laszlo.

"I don't know if you haven't noticed, but you are almost seven months pregnant now," Laszlo said to her and he looked down to the bump that was protruding. He knew how people had whispered when they had gone to dinner together once she had begun to show. They could add up the months and it was clear that the two of them had had a shotgun wedding, but Laszlo didn't entirely care. They were married and that was all that mattered.

"Well, yes," Elizabeth said with a nod. "But if needs must then the baby can sleep in a cot next to us, isn't that right?"

Laszlo's brow furrowed. "And the nanny?"

"Nanny?" Elizabeth asked, echoing the word back to him and his brows knitted together, his forehead wrinkling at hearing her. "Why would we need a nanny?"

"I thought that you might want help…and most families have nannies to help them," Laszlo said.

"Most probably do, but I don't want a nanny," Elizabeth said and Laszlo nodded. "I want to spend as much time with our baby as possible and raise her…him…I don't think we need a nanny. I'll be able to cope. It is not as though we have a busy social diary, is it?"

"You are certain?"

"Most certain," Elizabeth said.

"Very well," Laszlo responded.

"Besides, I doubt you will be like my own father was when me and my sister were children."

"And what was he like?"

"Absent," Elizabeth said to him and she saw Charlotte move onto the grass and continue skipping before noticing a group of children with a larger rope. She stopped her jumping and turned her head over her shoulder to see that Laszlo had taken a seat on a bench, Elizabeth settling down next to him.

"You can join in," Elizabeth said to Charlotte, noting the little girl looking at the bigger rope. "But just stay there where we can see you."

"Yes," Charlotte agreed. "Promise."

"Good girl," Elizabeth said and she ran off to join the other children, Elizabeth keeping an eye on her and Laszlo did the same. She began speaking then, turning the conversation back to what they had been talking about. "Anyway, my father was always absent. He never helped us with schoolwork or looked after us when we were sick. He had no idea how to treat us."

She folded one leg over the other and Laszlo rested a hand on top of her kneecap, her own gloved fingers moving to sit on top of his.

"And I have no desire to be like my own father," Laszlo responded. "I do wish to be more involved than he ever was in my life."

"There we have it then," Elizabeth said with a nod. "Besides, you have been…well…an absolute saviour during this pregnancy."

"Have I?"

Elizabeth looked over to him for a brief moment before turning her attention fully back to Charlotte. "Of course you have," she said to him. "You've been there every morning I have been hunched over the toilet being sick. You've handled my mood swings…even when I was completely unreasonable," she said, remembering the time she had snapped at him for leaving a pile of books on the bed. "And you've even gone down to the kitchen in the middle of the night and made me food when I've had cravings."

Laszlo smirked at that. "I have to confess, your pallet has changed and I don't know if that is for the best based on what I have had to make for you."

She rolled her eyes. "I only wanted eggs and cake once," she said to him.

"Still, very alarming," Laszlo responded, remembering how he had gone to the kitchen in the middle of the night, his hair a mess on top of his head and pyjamas askew on his body. But he had cooked her eggs and found the cake in the back of the cupboard before taking it back to her in bed.

"Hopefully the cravings have passed," Elizabeth said and moved her spare hand to run over her bump.

"Well, there is not long to go now," Laszlo said to her. "And then the baby will be here."

"Not long at all," Elizabeth said as Charlotte took hold of the handle of a rope and swung it. "And, speaking of time, has there been any news on the adoption process?"

"Not as of yet," Laszlo said to her. "There was only one more piece of paper that had to be signed before Charlotte was legally taken into your care. Her aunt…well…they cannot gain her permission for no one knows where she is. Regardless, I imagine everything will go through smoothly so there is no need to panic."

"I hope so," Elizabeth said. "I already see her as…well…not my daughter…because I can never replace her own mother, but she is something similar to that."

"I understand," Laszlo promised. "I have to say that I have also grown quite fond of her. She is a very sweet child and she is slowly coming out of her shell."

"She is," Elizabeth agreed with him on that point and he removed his hat from the top of his head, leaving it to his side before placing his hand back into Elizabeth's. "And you're very good with her. I noticed you were reading to her last night."

Laszlo shrugged. "I like her very much," he admitted to his wife.

"Miss Martins?"

Elizabeth froze at hearing her married name. She turned her head upwards and saw a woman with red hair who she recognised. She shook her head and Laszlo's hand squeezed hers.

"It's Mrs Kreizler now," she said to her.

"Apologies, Mrs Kreizler," the woman said, hands folded into her blue skirts. "But I thought that I recognised you and I wanted to see how you were doing. I don't know if you remember me, but I was there that night. I was at the Lying-In Hospital."

"Oh," Elizabeth said.

Truth be told, she didn't know much about that night. She couldn't recall every exact detail, but this woman's face did look familiar. Laszlo took over then, his voice low and questioning.

"You were the nurse who told Sara where Elizabeth was," he said, remembering her face and how Sara had come to them after talking to the woman. "You helped us find her."

"I didn't know what was happening…not really," she responded with a shake of her head, voice sickly sweet. "I thought that you were losing the baby. They said you had stomach cramps."

"So you know what goes on in that hospital?"

"No," she said firmly. "I don't know. I only do as I am told, but I just wanted to say that I am glad you are doing well. How far along are you?"

"Around seven months," Elizabeth said.

"Then you don't have long to go," the girl responded and Laszlo had to admit that he would much prefer to ask her if she knew anymore about what happened at that hospital, but he got the feeling that she could not be entirely forthcoming. Besides, did she know everything that happened? Laszlo suspected that Markoe would keep things secret. He would not divulge things that could cause him to get caught or trust people who would betray him.

"No," Elizabeth agreed with her on that one.

"And how are you feeling?"

"Terrified," Elizabeth said. She wasn't scared to admit that. "I've heard all of the horror stories of women giving birth and I am worried."

"Try not to worry," she said. "Most of the times things go smoothly. I've helped Doctor Markoe deliver countless numbers of babies. Do you know which hospital you intend to give birth in?"

"Yes, one just a few blocks away from our home," Laszlo said.

"I am certain that it shall all go well," the woman said and Elizabeth nodded with a soft smile. "Regardless, if you ever want to talk to someone about it…what it is like to give birth or if you have any questions…well, I am always available."

"That is very kind of you," Elizabeth said to her.

"Not at all," the girl waved her hand in a nonchalant manner. "Well, my name is Libby. Libby Hatch."

"Nice to meet you, Libby," Elizabeth held her hand out and shook the girl's. "And I might take you up on that offer. I do have many questions, but the doctor my husband insists on us seeing is not entirely forthcoming with answers."

"I suspect that he does not wish to alarm you," Laszlo responded.

"His reluctance to answer scares me more, however," she replied and looked around Libby to ensure that Charlotte was still safe. Once she had seen that the girl was still with the other children, she glanced back to Libby. "Do you come here often?"

"Most days when I don't have to work," she said.

"Then we could meet here for a walk later in the week?" Elizabeth suggested.

"I would like that. I have Friday free this week."

"Friday is perfect. Shall we say eleven?"

"Yes," Libby nodded enthusiastically. "I should get going, but I am glad to see that you are well."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said. "I shall see you on Friday, Libby."

"Yes," she nodded her head and turned on her heel after bidding them goodbye and Laszlo tipped his head in her direction. He waited until she was gone before he looked back to Elizabeth, his hand squeezing hers tightly as he watched her, noticing a look on her face that she often wore when she had a plan that she was thinking of.

"Should you have done that?" Laszlo asked from his wife.

"Probably not, but if I can get close to Libby then we might be able to find out what Doctor Markoe is hiding," Elizabeth said and Laszlo let out a deep sigh. He sank back against the bench and Elizabeth turned her upper body towards him after checking on Charlotte once more. She moved both of her hands up his arm, clinging onto it and knowing that he was frustrated with her. He had tell tale signs. Sighing and pursing his lips were the obvious ones. "And I know that you might be annoyed-"

"-You are about to give birth," Laszlo said to her, looking back to her with a narrowed expression. "You should be resting, not trying to investigate Markoe. Besides, Sara tried to find something on him, but there was nothing. He is protected by those in high society who he helps to serve."

"But if Libby knows something then she is more likely to tell us if he is performing operations on women without consent if she trusts someone."

"Perhaps," Laszlo agreed with her on that point. "But she also might not know anything and this will all prove fruitless."

"Not entirely," Elizabeth retorted. "She can still tell me more about the process of giving birth than Doctor Jacobs ever well."

"Doctor Jacobs is one the most well-respected doctors in New York," Laszlo reminded her. "I have no doubt that he knows what he is doing."

"Nor do I," Elizabeth agreed, "but the point still stands that he barely tells me anything and I have a lot of questions. I want to be prepared for when the time comes."

Laszlo sighed once more. "And I imagine you will not be dissuaded on this? Doctor Jacobs keeps things from you because he does not wish to scare you or worry you. I know that you claim you would rather know, but I don't know if it will put your mind at ease."

"I still think I would feel better."

Laszlo's frown twitched. "And nothing I say will persuade you otherwise, will it?"

"When have you known me to be anything other than stubborn?" she responded and he groaned, but nodded. He leant his head back and looked to the sky before feeling Elizabeth kiss the back of his hand and lean against his side so that she could watch Charlotte once more. He peered down onto her and kissed the side of her head, his fingers entwining into hers once more.

"I just want you to be careful…to keep you safe…all three of you," Laszlo said.

"I know," she said. "But I will be fine. Everything will be fine."

Laszlo hummed and gave her one final kiss to the temple before turning his gaze back to Charlotte, the two of them sat on that bench and in each other's company. They only moved when Charlotte came back to them and they stood up. Charlotte took hold of Elizabeth by the hand as they wandered back along the path to the carriage where Stevie was waiting for them. They journeyed back home, talking about what they could do the following day and Laszlo promised Charlotte that it could involve ice cream.

Once they were back home, Elizabeth insisted Charlotte go and change out of her nice dress before they had dinner. Laszlo picked up a letter from the sideboard that must have come for him while they had been out and his brows knitted together and he looked at the words on it. Elizabeth tugged her gloves from her fingertips and left them on the sideboard in the entrance hall.

"What is it?" she asked, seeing the look of concentration on his face.

"A letter from the courts," Laszlo said. "A woman has been accused of killing her child and they wish for me to assess her…Martha Napp. She is being held in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility."

"Killing her child?" Elizabeth asked, a firm hand going to her own stomach as she felt her throat clench. The atmosphere between them seemed to change as Laszlo nodded his head and continued reading, his mouth drying out before he looked away from the letter and to his wife.

"But that's not all," he said.

"What more is there?"

"She gave birth to her daughter at the Lying-In Hospital," Laszlo said and Elizabeth's eyes widened. "She was a patient of Doctor Markoe's."

"You don't think…" Elizabeth trailed off and Laszlo folded the letter up and placed his hat down on top of it. He grasped hold of the sideboard in his fingertips and bowed his head.

"I don't know what to think," Laszlo responded and picked his gaze up once again, meeting Elizabeth's eye. "But I know that I have to look into this."

…

A/N: Moving into season 2 slowly now. Would love to know what you think/any thoughts/suggestions!