Laszlo knew that his wife would be even more on edge than usual after the news of the disappearance of Isabelle Linares's child. He knew that would be natural. If a child had been taken then it would resonate with everything that had happened. Martha Napp's child had been taken. Isabelle Linares's child had also been taken. And then there was the fear that someone had been watching their house too. There was that genuine fear and Laszlo knew Elizabeth had every right to be afraid. He was worried too.

He was more worried than he cared to admit, but he had to be strong. He had to be strong for his wife because he knew how she leaned on him. He knew how she saw him as her safe haven. She always had done. He didn't mind, of course. He wanted to be that for her, but a part of him also struggled with being strong all of the time.

"Is Charlotte not at school today? I would have thought that you would have woken her by now," Laszlo asked from his wife as she entered the room.

He had been sat at the dining table while leaving Elizabeth in bed to sleep. She had managed to doze off for a few hours and he had taken Lucy downstairs when he had heard her begin to stir. He carried his daughter in his arms after dressing, moving to the parlour and setting her down in her crib, rocking her back and forth. He had taken her into the dining room after reading his notes on Martha Napp's case before sitting down at the table, looking at the stack of books he had left there and picking one up.

"No," Elizabeth said. "I thought that I would leave her to sleep a while longer. I was also thinking that we could perhaps go out today…go for a walk…perhaps find somewhere to dine for lunch? Unless you have to go to work?"

"I am needed at the Institute this morning," Laszlo said to her and he swore he saw her face fall for a brief moment, but she covered it up. She forced herself to smile and sat down next to him at the table. Laszlo continued holding Lucy, Elizabeth bending forwards and kissing her on the forehead. "But, I could perhaps escape early. I do have to meet with Paulie and check on his progress."

"How is Paulie?" Elizabeth wondered from him. Paulie was quite a new addition to the Institute, but Laszlo appeared to have formed a bond with him from the start, teaching him magic tricks and being pleased whenever he saw him smile over at him and look impressed.

"Adjusting to life at the Institute," Laszlo declared. "But, as with all the children, it takes time."

"We know that better than most," Elizabeth said. "Look at Charlotte."

"Indeed," Laszlo agreed with her on that as Lucy stretched her arms out and seemed to reach for his beard. Her fingers tugged at it and Laszlo chuckled at her movements. Elizabeth's own lips arched upwards at him and he looked her in the eye, wondering just what it was he was feeling at that moment in time. He didn't know. It was a mixture of apprehension and happiness. He was always happy when he knew Elizabeth was happy and he suspected that was what love was. Love was about putting the other person first. It was just like Elizabeth did for him.

"She never did tell us what she saw," Laszlo commented to his wife.

"I know," she said. "And I do not want to push her, but I am still intrigued as to what happened to her parents that she could not talk about it. I know they both died…but how…what happened…none of us know and I wonder if we ever will."

Laszlo shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," he confessed. "I think, perhaps, she might reveal one day what happened to her. But, as you said, you should not push her. She needs time to come to terms with everything and she has settled in here very well."

"That she has," Elizabeth said and Lucy began to reach for her mother.

Laszlo darkly chuckled. "I think she wants you."

"It is time for me to feed her," Elizabeth said and she toyed with the button of her blouse she wore tucked into her dark, navy skirt. Laszlo moved to his feet and handed her their daughter, letting her rest her in her lap.

"I will let you feed her and I will see about making us breakfast," Laszlo commented.

"Can you manage?"

"Indeed, let me look after my wife," Laszlo said and he kissed the top of her head as he walked past her.

He moved into the kitchen and began to break eggs, placing them into a frying pan. He had to admit that he was not a great cook. He had never had to cook for himself, not truly. But ever since he had lost Mary, he hadn't had the heart to hire someone new. But he knew that he should for his wife's sake. But he still missed Mary. He missed the woman he had taken in. He missed her terribly.

And then, when Elizabeth had become pregnant, Laszlo had found himself spending more time in the kitchen, especially during the times when she was suffering from morning sickness. He would cook breakfast for himself and Charlotte, letting his wife sleep in longer after her sickness had passed. And then he would find himself in the kitchen in the middle of the night when her cravings struck her. He cooked her anything that she wanted, not once complaining about the time or how random her requests were.

He finished cooking the eggs and placed them on a plate with toast on another. He carried them through to the dining room, Elizabeth finishing off with Lucy.

"How did she feed this morning?"

"Still not as easy as I would like," Elizabeth said to him. "She…I've tried everything that the midwife suggested and what Libby told me too, but I just feel like she isn't getting enough from me or forming a good connection."

"You need not be so hard on yourself," Laszlo said, placing a plate down in front of her, his hand going to hold onto her shoulder. He kissed her once more on the side of her temple, seeing how she closed her eyes at his movement and he ran a hand down her hair. "Every new mother struggles with things, Elizabeth. No one is perfect."

"I know," Elizabeth assured him. "I just want to be better for her, you know? I want to be the best mother I can be."

"You always will be," Laszlo commented and he kissed her in the same spot on her temple again. "Let me put her down in her crib and you eat your breakfast."

Laszlo picked Lucy up and carried her to the crib just behind them, laying her down and going to fetch the remaining plates from the kitchen. He returned just as Charlotte entered the room, yawning loudly with her arms stretched above her head. She was currently on a break from school for a week and Laszlo recalled how Elizabeth had mentioned that it might be nice if, for the next break, they went away for a week, just the four of them. He had to admit, that it might be nice. A change of scenery might be just what they needed.

She sat down at the dining table in a simple blue dress, her hair not brushed and sleep coming from her eyes. Laszlo dished her a plate of eggs and toast and handed them to her. She took hold of them and sat down as he dished up his own plate and they sat down in comfortable conversation, Laszlo and Elizabeth acting as though everything was normal for Charlotte's sake.

When it came time for Laszlo to leave for work, he insisted that either Stevie stay with Elizabeth and their children or they come with him instead. She promised him that they would be fine, but Laszlo had told Stevie to stay with them. He had stood by the front door, his wife holding their daughter in her grip and Charlotte with Stevie in the parlour, playing a game of cards with him. He had taught her how to play weeks ago, but she had yet to best him.

"We will come to the Institute later…perhaps after dinner?" Elizabeth suggested.

"I should be finished with my work by then," Laszlo said. "And we can go to the park and perhaps go to that tea shop Charlotte loves."

"I would like that," Elizabeth said and Laszlo gave her a tight nod.

He placed his hat on top of his head and reached for his cane. He moved a hand to his wife's shoulder, squeezing it softly and then bending down to kiss her chastely for a few moments, his lips moving over hers.

"Everything will be fine, my dear," Laszlo assured her.

"I hope so," Elizabeth responded and he kissed her once more before bidding goodbye to his daughter.

"We'll see to it," Laszlo told her and she watched him move from the house, closing the door behind him. Elizabeth looked down to Lucy and sighed softly before moving back into the parlour to be with Charlotte and Stevie.

She sat down on the edge of the couch, Lucy resting in her lap as she did all that she could to try not to worry about the night before the events that had transpired.

…

Elizabeth arrived at the Institute later on in the afternoon, hoping that her nerves might have calmed down by then. Had the Linares child been returned? Had it simply been a mistake and the child was somewhere safe and sound? Elizabeth didn't know, but she hoped for it. She longed for it to be the case. She entered the Institute, pushing the pram with a tight grip, Charlotte by her side and kicking stones down the sidewalk.

"Helen," Elizabeth greeted the head nurse in the entrance hall.

The place was quiet, no doubt the children already in their lessons. Charlotte looked around, her eyes wide with awe as she considered her surroundings. This was where she had been sent. It was where she thought she would grow up. A part of her had despaired at that thought. She had hoped there might be something else, anything else. She wanted her aunt to come back to her and take her home. But the woman was too selfish for that. And now, as she stood by Elizabeth's side with Lucy next to her, she wondered if her aunt had actually done her the best favour she could have hoped for.

"Mrs Kreizler, it's lovely to see you," Helen said, carrying a small box in her hands. "Doctor Kreizler had said that you would be coming by."

"Is he here?" Elizabeth asked.

"Unfortunately, he had to run out," Helen said and Elizabeth felt her stomach drop. There was no chance of their afternoon out, then. "He did ask me to give you this message, however. He called for his driver, but Stevie said you had already left to walk here."

Helen dug into her pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper. Elizabeth unfolded it and looked down at Laszlo's fine scrawl on the page. He told her that an emergency had come up and he needed to step out, asking her to meet him back at home and apologising for missing her.

"Well, business is business," Elizabeth said, trying not to sound too forlorn and wondering what emergency had come up.

"He has seemed rather distracted," Helen commented and Elizabeth bit down on her bottom lip, shrugging her shoulders at hearing her say that. "Then again, I imagine he must have his hands full at home, what with a newborn and the adoption of Charlotte…plus the case…we all wonder if he is perhaps working too much."

Helen bent down and looked to Lucy in the pram, smiling down at her and cooing gently. Elizabeth didn't know how to respond to Helen for a moment, knowing full well that Laszlo had been stressed. He had a lot on his plate and Elizabeth was acutely aware of that fact. She didn't need Helen to remind her.

"And you must have your hands full too," Helen said. "Although I doubt that this little one causes you any trouble. Look how precious she is."

"Oh, she has her moments," Elizabeth said. "Anyway, I should let you get back to work, Helen. I don't want to keep you."

"Of course not," Helen said.

Elizabeth bid her goodbyes and left with Charlotte next to her, talking to the little girl and telling her that, despite Laszlo's disappearance, she didn't see any reason why they couldn't stop off for cake and take it back home with them. Wandering back through the park, Elizabeth could feel the sun beating down on her skin as she tilted her head up to it, her eyes closing for a brief moment. It was quite warm in New York City, the May sun beating down and not a cloud in the sky. If Elizabeth didn't know the horrors of what had happened she would have questioned how anything bad could happen in such a place. It felt too perfect of a day for bad news.

Once they were back home, Elizabeth took Lucy from her pram and Charlotte rushed off to give Stevie his slice of cake that she had picked out for him. If Stevie was home then that meant Laszlo was somewhere near. She cradled her daughter in her arms, holding onto her and bouncing her in her arms and moving further into the house. She could hear Stevie and Charlotte laughing about something outside in the courtyard as she looked in the kitchen for Laszlo, but he wasn't there.

"Stevie," Elizabeth called to him, standing in the backdoor. "Do you know where Laszlo is?"

"He is with Miss Howard," Stevie said, pulling his slice of chocolate cake from the paper bag, sat on the bench by the wall with Charlotte next to her, already chewing into the sponge cake. "He asked me to drop him off at the agency after we'd been to the police station."

"Did he say why?"

Stevie shook his head. "He seemed on edge though…like something had scared him."

Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully, forcing a smile onto her face. She hoped that it would reassure him that everything was fine. But Stevie was no fool. He knew that something was amiss.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Elizabeth promised Stevie, but he wondered if she truly believed that herself. He didn't push her on it. Instead, he watched her walk back inside, holding her daughter to her body and moving through to the parlour.

Elizabeth tried to act normal for the sake of everyone in the house, but she didn't know if she was doing a good job. She wanted to hear the door bang and she wanted to see Laszlo walk through it. She simply wanted normality, something that had been missing in their lives for such a long time.

Time went on and soon the night fell, Elizabeth urging Charlotte to go to bed, despite her claiming that she didn't need to go to sleep early because she had no school in the morning. On the contrary, Elizabeth argued that she needed a proper sleep routine. Charlotte relented eventually and then Elizabeth laid Lucy down in the crib in their bedroom, moving to the nursery and looking around it.

She knew that there would come a time when their daughter was supposed to sleep in the nursery instead of their room, but for the time being, Elizabeth preferred having her close. She looked at the walls, freshly wallpapered, and the dark, oak furniture in the room. Moving to the large crib, she rocked it back and forth before hearing the door open.

Turning her head over her shoulder, she rushed back down the staircase and found Laszlo removing his coat, leaving his cane resting against the wall.

"You're home," Elizabeth sighed in a breath of relief.

"I'm home," Laszlo echoed. "I did not mean to worry you."

"I'm fine," Elizabeth said to him. "But I get the sense that you are not. What has happened? Talk to me, Laszlo."

"A baby was found today in a department store," Laszlo informed his wife. "Someone had replaced a toy doll with the baby's body. Sara thought that it might be the Linares child, but it wasn't. When I examined the baby I knew whose it was…it was Martha Napp's."

"My God," Elizabeth whispered, her breath hitching and Laszlo nodded, his face showing signs of tiredness and sorrow. Moving a hand to hold onto his arm, she took hold of it and squeezed it in her grip. "I'm sorry, Laszlo."

"As am I," Laszlo responded in a gruff voice. "But, I am also relieved. I am relieved that we have found her child. We have found her and she can be reunited with her mother."

"Hopefully that can bring some comfort to them both," Elizabeth said, hoping that there was an afterlife and that they were able to be reunited. Laszlo nodded his head and moved his arms out to his wife, holding onto her and letting his chin rest just by her forehead as she turned her face to the side, cheek pressed to his neck.

"Seeing that baby caused me nothing but pain…grief…sorrow…it was so small and so innocent, Elizabeth. All I could think of was Lucy," Laszlo said and he shook his head. "And, logically, I know that makes no sense. She is safe here with you. She is safe with us…but…I don't doubt that Martha also felt that her child was safe too."

"It's scary," Elizabeth said to her husband, knowing that he would be on edge for the rest of the night. She could smell the alcohol on his breath, no doubt having taken a drink to try and calm his nerves. "The world can be cruel and scary, Laszlo. We both know that."

"And we both know there is nothing we can do about it, not really. There will always be people willing to kill," Laszlo said and he sighed, shaking his head once more. "But I do not want to think of it any longer."

"What do you want to think of?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Nothing," Laszlo said with a deep sigh. "I want to think of nothing at all."

…

Laszlo was helping Sara on the Linares case. He had gone early the next morning to pick Sara up so that he could take her to the Linares household and interview the staff there, hoping that there would be something they might remember or be able to tell them. However, Laszlo didn't hold his breath on that. He had watched Elizabeth sleep for a few moments before he got up, his wife laid on her side, a hand stuffed under her pillow and her other arm dangling over his waist. Her lips were parted gently and her hair was a halo of messy curls on her pillow.

He thought back to what she had said to him the other night and wondered just what was going on in her mind. What had she been thinking about? What did she dream about now? She still woke with nightmares and Laszlo would always be there to run his hand down her back to soothe her.

He knew that she loved motherhood. He knew that she adored Lucy with all of her being, but there were aspects of it that she found difficult. Then again, that was motherhood in general. She had a lot on her plate and many concerns too, most of them the same concerns as Laszlo.

He stood up after a few moments and dressed silently. He checked on Lucy in her crib, bending over and kissing her chastely on the forehead before looking to Elizabeth. She had shifted in her sleep, rolling onto her other side and away from Laszlo. His lips quirked at the sight of her and he left her to sleep after pulling the quilt tightly up to her chest. She didn't once stir. She was fast asleep and Laszlo wondered just how exhausted she found herself every night. He used the back of his hand to brush her hair from her face, seeing that it had gotten tangled up when she rolled over.

He went to work that day with a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. He didn't particularly know what he was going to find, but he knew that it would not be good. Him and Sara went to the Linares household together, but, as he suspected, it proved fruitless. None of the staff members were particularly helpful and then Laszlo had seen the flyer in the street.

Doctor Markoe was giving a public lecture that evening. Laszlo intended to go and John intended to go with him in his capacity as a journalist to confront the man over the Martha Napp case. Laszlo had told John that he would meet him there after visiting the Linares household.

Stepping into the lecture theatre, the room was silent, save for Doctor Markoe's booming voice. Laszlo closed the door behind him, the noise of it squeaking and creaking, echoing through the room. All eyes turned onto Laszlo for a brief moment as even Markoe faltered in what he was saying. Laszlo slipped into the room, moving amongst the men and towards the end of a bench where John was sat. He kept his left arm tight to his body, the sight of Markoe enough to make Laszlo feel anger over their history.

Markoe regained his composure and spoke clearly once more. "And these young women should be practicing chastity to rise above destitution. Too many of the lower classes give into seduction. However, it is not my place to render moral judgement on the souls of these poor women. All I can do is give them succor. Thank you."

Laszlo let out a dark scoff at hearing him say that, looking to the board that held his name on it alongside the title of his talk. Laszlo watched as people stood up to begin clapping and he knew that now was his time to accost the Doctor.

"How very good of you not to render moral judgment on the souls of these women," Laszlo called out as the men began to stand up and move towards the door. Some stayed behind, curiosity certainly getting the better of them as they wondered what was happening. John also moved to his feet, recalling how last time Laszlo had lashed out at Markoe when they had exchanged tense words.

"You mock me, Doctor Kreizler, but only because you lost in court," Markoe responded. "It is only because your vanity demands satisfaction."

"There has been a child found," Laszlo responded. "Murdered."

Men began gasping around them, clearly intrigued with the conversation.

"John Moore, New York Times," John stated his identity, quickly moving to stand by Laszlo's side. "The body of the child was found in the department store after Martha Napp was executed."

"But who's to say that the child is the Napp baby?" Markoe questioned without missing a beat.

"I took it upon myself to attend the autopsy," Laszlo declared.

"Doctor Kreizler was able to make a positive identification," John added on.

"It was emphatically the child." Laszlo concluded.

Markoe's lips turned upwards for a moment and he shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps the alienist is wrong?" he suggested and that earned him laughter from the crowd in front of him. Laszlo knew what he was doing by trying to earn their favour and no doubt he would have it. Most of the men in the room would consider Laszlo too unorthodox to side with him. But he had to try and confront Markoe considering the man was not allowing him into his Hospital.

"Does this amuse you, Doctor Markoe?" Laszlo demanded, voice now fraught with annoyance. "You had a mother executed and now there is proof that she is not a murderer."

Markoe's face hardened once more. "That is an outrageous claim to make, Doctor Kreizler," he said, tone haughty. "Outrageous."

He began to walk away from the front of the lecture hall then, some of the men following him and clearly wishing to continue the discussion they had been having beforehand. Laszlo was one of them, refusing to let Markoe get away as he called out loud.

"How do you account for the fact that a woman under your medical supervision now lying six feet under in Potter's Field…how do you account for her child now being found dead…not murdered by Martha? How many more innocents must suffer?"

"Perhaps you should focus on your own business, Doctor Kreizler," Markoe hissed in a low voice, turning to glare at the alienist so only he could hear him talk. "Who are you to come here and shout about morals to me? What with your shotgun wedding and the whispers surrounding your wife…about how she killed her husband…you are in no place to pass judgement over anyone."

"I believe I have warned you before not to discuss my wife," Laszlo hissed.

"And I believe I have warned you to stay out of my business," Markoe concluded and pushed the door open, not saying anything back to Laszlo. He had nothing that he wanted to add onto the conversation.

Turning to look to John, Laszlo saw how his friend sighed and shrugged his shoulders, almost as if to tell him that they had done the best that they could. The two of them left the lecture and Laszlo could feel a headache coming on. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he noted Stevie across the street waiting for him. He asked him to take them back to Sara's office and the two men sat in the carriage.

"Ignore what Markoe said," John encouraged from Laszlo, noting how his friend's lips arched for a moment.

"Funny," Laszlo muttered.

"What is?" John questioned.

"I always tell Elizabeth to ignore what is said about us," Laszlo said. "Over the years I have grown immune to how people talk about me and I am able to ignore what they say about my relationship with Elizabeth, but sometimes…when I catch glimpses of her name in a newspaper or hear murmurs…even I struggle with ignoring them. The things they call her…they have no right. They know nothing about what happened."

"People are petty," John said to Laszlo. "And people like to gossip because they are not content with their own life. My grandmother told me that."

"Wise woman," Laszlo concluded on that one, looking back out of the window of the carriage at the passing scenery.

John nodded, clenching his fingers into a fist and tapping it gently on his thigh, looking out of the other window. "She was."

…

"You want to hypnotise her?" Elizabeth asked from her husband and he nodded his head, arching his brow in his wife's direction. He had met her after finishing off talking with Sara, John and the Isaacson twins. She had come by the agency by herself, Cyrus back at the house and looking after Charlotte and Lucy with Joanna. The two of them had been passing by and had dropped in.

They had asked Elizabeth if she needed some time to run any errands, but she had insisted she was fine. However, she had thought that it might be nice to find Laszlo and spend some time talking with him, just the two of them.

"Señora Linares might be repressing memories of that day," Laszlo said, Elizabeth's arm inside of his. He held his cane in his other hand, letting it dangle by his side. His coat blew open in the soft breeze and Elizabeth wore only a green dress with a high collar, her hair loose down her back and a green, plain hat on her head. "I believe that there might be an opportunity to gain those memories back by hypnotising her. It is quite a new technique in psychology, but it has yielded a number of positive results."

"And do you think that she will agree to this?" Elizabeth queried from him.

"I did not get a chance to ask for Sara was against the idea and this is her case," Laszlo said.

Elizabeth's brows rose on her forehead and Laszlo noted how she wrinkled her nose.

"What is that face for?"

"Nothing," Elizabeth said. "I just know that you don't particularly enjoy being told what to do."

Laszlo's lips quirked upwards at hearing her say that and he knew that she had a point. He was a man who didn't particularly enjoy following orders and that was why he was thinking that he perhaps might still visit Señora Linares himself still. But he would give it a day or two before he went, knowing that she might need time. Elizabeth looked across to him and he saw that mischievous glint in her eye she had whenever she teased him. He hadn't seen it for a while.

"You're right, I don't," Laszlo agreed with her. "But I make exceptions every now and then, particularly for my wife, I've noticed."

"Well, you did once tell me that I was the exception to every rule you had," Elizabeth reminded him. He nodded thoughtfully, manoeuvring them around a puddle.

"And it seems that remains true," Laszlo confirmed to her and he bent down to briefly peck her on the lips, crossing the road and avoiding the passing carriages. "But, I do have a favour to ask of you."

"And what is that?" Elizabeth questioned, catching her reflection in a store's window as they passed by, seeing her flyaway hair and her reddened cheeks from the heat. She glanced back to Laszlo when he didn't answer her and she felt his arm flex as she kept a firm grip on it.

"I need to go to Potter's Field…to reunite Martha with her daughter…and I was hoping that you might be able to join me. I would understand completely if you do not wish to as the case has-"

"-I'll come," Elizabeth interrupted her husband from his continued ramblings, not wanting him to try and make up excuses for why she might not go with him. Instead, she nodded her head and squeezed hold of his arm. "I'll come with you, Laszlo."

"Thank you," he said, gratitude clear in his voice. "In the meantime, I feel that I should tell you about how I went to Doctor Markoe's public lecture earlier today."

She let out a deep sigh and let go of his arm for a moment, walking around a puddle so that neither of them got wet. She looked over the murky water of the rainwater before looking back to Laszlo's dark eyes. He held his arm out once more for her and she took hold of it again.

"Why would you go there?" Elizabeth asked from him. "You know that he will never tell you anything, Laszlo. He's good at covering his tracks and we both know that."

"I know it, but it will not stop me from chasing him and trying to get the answers to the questions that Martha Napp deserves…that we deserve," Laszlo retorted, rounding the corner. He wondered where they were walking to, but he didn't question it. He found that he was completely at ease simply walking with his wife and talking.

Elizabeth shrugged. "I know you feel that way, but I just fear that you'll never find anything out," she responded. "And your antics will be talked about."

"I suspect my antics will make me popular gossip after today, anyway," Laszlo grunted.

"What did you do?" Elizabeth asked, almost in the same tone she used whenever she was talking to Lucy or Charlotte after she had seen them make a mess.

"I simply interrupted his lecture and he proceeded to lecture me on morals, as if your pregnancy before marriage is the same thing as him sentencing an innocent woman to death," Laszlo scoffed, tone abrupt at the memory.

"Did he say that?" Elizabeth questioned from him, eyes wide. "Did he bring up Lucy?"

"He was attempting to deflect the conversation, but I saw to it that wouldn't happen," Laszlo firmly shook his head and Elizabeth rolled her eyes at the mere implication that Markoe could cast judgement over the two of them. "I warned him from talking about you and I…the way the men laughed…"

"Ignore them," Elizabeth said, shaking her head quickly and tilting her head up to look at him, her free hand tugging on the collar of her green dress. She tugged at her hat after that.

"Funny," Laszlo commented, almost as though he was simply musing to himself.

"What is?" Elizabeth wondered from him, arching her brow.

"John told me the exact same thing," Laszlo said.

"Well," Elizabeth said, her tone light as she tried to bring some relief to the conversation. But she didn't know if she would be able to. "You've been given advice from two wise people today, it seems. What is it they say? Great minds think alike?"

"Though fools seldom differ," Laszlo concluded.

That earned him a gentle nudge in his ribs, Elizabeth's bony joint making contact and causing him to double over with laughter, her side brushing his and he ignored the stares from passing people, not caring for what they thought about the two of them. Elizabeth, despite Laszlo's taunt, continued to smile, her cheeks puffed out and her eyes bright.

"Are you calling your wife a fool?" Elizabeth demanded.

"I would not dare," Laszlo replied and he turned into the park, the crowds thinning out slightly. He looked at the rows of trees above him and the way the leaves rustled in the gentle breeze. He turned right, moving down towards the Tea House and spotting the water feature behind it. The noise of running water entered his ears amongst chatter from people sat outside the small hut, drinking their own iced tea and discussing things that, Laszlo assumed, were of no particular importance.

"Well, it seems as though you just did," Elizabeth said.

"And how can I make it up to you?" Laszlo questioned. "I would hate to be on your bad side, my darling."

"There are a number of things you could do, but the doctor insists I still rest for the time being," she commented, her lips by his ear and her breath hot on his neck.

"Elizabeth," Laszlo hissed her name. "We're in public."

"Hence why I whispered it in your ear," she said and pecked him on the cheek for good measure. "Besides, perhaps it is best we wait considering what happened the last time I let you near me."

Laszlo's smirk picked up on his face. "I do believe that Lucy was worth it," he recalled.

"Oh, she was," Elizabeth promised him. "But I do not want to go through that pain for a while."

"So you would like another child?" Laszlo asked, not missing a beat after she had spoken. He went to take a seat on a bench, Elizabeth flopping next to him and removing her hat from her head, sitting on the space next to her.

"I didn't mean that…well…not entirely," Elizabeth said to him with a shake of her head. "I don't know, Laszlo. I haven't entirely thought about having any more children. But if it is something that you want then maybe we can talk about it later?"

Laszlo ran a hand along his bearded chin, his fingers toying along his jawbone. His eyes narrowed and he looked to the ground, trying to figure out what it was he wanted to say to Elizabeth. He shrugged his shoulders for a moment and let his hand rest on Elizabeth's knee once she had folded one leg over the other and angled herself towards him.

"I confess that I haven't entirely thought about it either," Laszlo said. "I would be happy with just Charlotte and Lucy, of course."

"As would I," Elizabeth agreed on that matter. "But if we do have another child then it perhaps would be nice…well…not to talk about it soon but not to wait too long."

Laszlo's lips parted at hearing her, his fingers drumming up and down against her knee as he kept hold of it in his grip. She moved her own hands to rest on top of his, picking her hand up and playing with his fingers, toying with them in her grip.

"Why would you say that?" Laszlo wondered from her.

"Well, I just would prefer not to wait too long," Elizabeth said to her husband. "And it would be nice for Lucy to be a similar age as her sibling. Charlotte already makes a wonderful elder sister so I am not worried about her."

"I do not doubt it either," Laszlo promised his wife. "And perhaps it is something that we can discuss when this case is finished and when I am actually allowed near you again."

"Are you missing me?" Elizabeth wondered, her tone light and teasing him once again.

"I suspect just as much as you miss me," Laszlo responded, keeping his voice low so that only she could hear him.

"You're quite confident about that," she picked up on his tone and he remained smug, that expression on his face on that Elizabeth had grown accustomed to, particularly when he had her exactly where he wanted her. It was almost as though he knew that she would bend to his will, that she was wrapped around his finger.

"Because I heard you moaning in your sleep," Laszlo said and he saw her falter then, cheeks turning redder than before, eyes widening. She picked a hand up, removing her fingers from his and nudging him in the upper arm. He chuckled again, tilting his head up to the sky and feeling the sun shine down on him. "I have to say that it is quite the confidence boost. Of course, I could tell you why you were having such dreams and the psychology behind them, but I almost don't want to."

"You're a horrible tease," Elizabeth could only mumble to him and he lowered his face towards hers, his forehead brushing her own and nose bumping into hers.

"Perhaps," he could agree with her on that. "But I do love you."

"Hmm," she mumbled and his hand squeezed hers firmly. "I suppose I will let you off again."

He kissed her chastely once more before picking up her hand and kissing the back of it. He took a moment to move to his feet, pulling Elizabeth up with him and moving her hand to sit in his arm. The two of them continued walking through the park and then moving back towards the house, talking about everything and nothing of importance. Walking up the steps, Laszlo opened the door for Elizabeth, letting her in first before shutting it. Shrugging out of his coat, Laszlo hung it up as his wife moved into the parlour.

"What is it?" she asked and Laszlo instantly felt his blood chill.

Her tone was one of concern. Her voice was fraught. What had happened?

"We don't know, Elizabeth," Cyrus's voice spoke. "But whatever it was…we…we didn't see anything…well, nothing alarming, anyway."

"Is anyone hurt?" Elizabeth asked and Laszlo stood in the doorway, looking around the parlour. Cyrus was sat on the couch, Joanna next to him with Charlotte by her side. Lucy was in Joanna's arms, crying gently. Her wails echoed through the room and Laszlo almost wondered what the concern was before he saw it.

"No," Joanna answered and she handed Lucy over to Elizabeth, letting her hold the baby, trying to hush her and keep her quiet. Elizabeth moved her hand to Charlotte's shoulder as she juggled Lucy in one hand, squeezing it tightly. "We were simply sitting in the dining room when we heard the smash."

"By the time I went outside, whoever it was had gone," Cyrus said. "It could just be children messing around. You know what they can be like."

But his voice was wavering, almost telling them that he didn't really believe that. Elizabeth looked to the smashed glass on the floor. It was glimmering in the light, shining brightly. Laszlo stepped towards it and crouched down, looking at the rock that sat on the floor.

"And no one saw anything?" Laszlo checked. "No neighbour came round?"

"Nothing," Joanna said and Charlotte moved to stand up by Elizabeth's side, Lucy calming down as Elizabeth continued to bounce her. "We didn't want to touch anything in case you decided to call the police."

"They would not be interested."

"I would not be surprised if they were involved in this," Laszlo mumbled, knowing about corruption in the force. He picked the rock up and saw a piece of paper wrapped around it. He unfolded it slowly, pulling it out and looking at the words.

"What is it?" Cyrus questioned, standing tall and looking over Laszlo's shoulder.

"A flyer…for Doctor Markoe's public lecture," Laszlo said and turned his head over his shoulder, peering up to Cyrus and then letting his gaze flicker between Joanna and Charlotte before landing on his wife, seeing that the blood had drained from her face. Elizabeth gulped and Laszlo felt his fingers begin to shake as he shook his head. "The very same lecture I attended today."

"That…is that a coincidence?" Joanna questioned, flattening out her skirts.

Laszlo stood up and kept the flyer in his hand. He looked to the smashed window and tilted his head to the side. "I don't think any of this is a coincidence…not now."

…

A/N: Not sure if anyone is still interested in this. Would love to know what you think/are still reading!