So I had this brainwave a while back, and decided to just write it. This is an alternative ending to the story of Crimson Peak with the little girl in it, that continues from Edith's escape.

You promised you wouldn't fall in love with anyone else!"

"Yes, but it happened."

Lucille paused, horror clouding her face, then clawed at him with a sob and plunged her knife deep into the hollow beneath his collar bone. As Thomas staggered back to the wall, eyes wide with the pain, Lucille drew the knife out to go at him again. Shewas
overtaken by rage, and heartbreak, but still could not see that she was not thinking straight.

"Mummy! Stop it!"

Lucille froze again as a broken scream cut through the air. She blinked rapidly, out of her trance, and stared as Thomas looked into her eyes with some weak hint of warning.

"Florrie," he gasped. The ghost of a grimace flitted across his lips, guilt stricken, and as Lucille turned around her face fell when she saw her daughter stood in the doorway, trembling.

"Florence, sweetheart..."

Lucille reached towards the child with bloody fingers, her expression one of agony. Florrie stumbled away from her, eyes wide with terror.

"Papa?"

"Run, Florence."

Realising the true damage she had done, Lucille let go of Thomas and staggered backwards herself, before the rage overtook her again and she reached out and grabbed Florence by the waist as she listened to her father and tried to run away.

"No! You betrayed me! You neglected your ownmother for the stupid woman your father married!" Lucille wailed as she tightened her arms around her daughter, locking her still and pressing her cheek to her ear. Florencepanicked, and struggled,
crying now, having seen her father choking and fighting to stay conscious from the pain on the floor. She continued to cry, repeating "please, mama" over and over, but her mother took no heed, blinded by rage that was, really,aimed at Edith.

Lucille snarled and spun the child around to face her, then took her by the throat and pinned her down on the bed, a strange mixture of guilt and passion coursing through her veins.

"I love you, my darling," she crooned as Florrie kicked at her and tried to peel her hands away. "I will always love you, everything I've ever done is to protect you. A mother's love is unparalleled in this world..."

At this second, as Florrie began to weaken and her legs stopped kicking, Thomas grimaced as he forced himself to stand, and could see just enough to notice Edith appear in the doorway.

"If you love her so much, let go of her," the young woman warned, her voice even despite her clear terror. Lucille turned to glare at her, but she clenched her jaw. In that moment Edith was both relieved that she'd stopped Lucille suffocating her daughterand
horrified that she'd caught the murdering psychopath's attention.

Edith had just enough time to turn and sprint to the elevator before Lucille had thrown Florence with force at the dresser and tore out of the room after her, screaming as she went. Florence's small body hit the dresser with a crack, and slid to the groundwith
a light thud.

The clanging of the elevator as Edith fought to escape didn't register in Thomas' mind as he stumbled across the room to where Florence had landed in a heap. She was unconscious, but breathing, so he put a hand on her cheek and tried to rouse her, hisown
fear making him tremble. Lucille had made a good job of strangling her. He could lose everything he had, but please, God, not his little girl.

"Florence? Please come back to me, sweetheart... We'll get out of here, I promise..."

After a moment or two, the child stirred, and her eyes flew open as she spluttered and coughed and realised what had happened. She relaxed when she saw that her father had her, but whimpered.

"Daddy, it hurts," she croaked, breaking Thomas' heart. He nodded, and stroked her face, noticing how she'd hit the corner of the dresser, and she really wasn't lying straight.

"I know, love. Be brave," he whispered. Little Florrie nodded and bit her lip. Taking a deep breath, Thomas scooped the little girl up into his arms and clenched his teeth against her whimpers and the pain in his chest as he forced himself to stand. Thewhole
process took him far longer than he'd have liked, but he was out and in the hallway just as the elevator came back up empty.

"We don't stop until you kill me, or I kill you!"

Edith held her ground, brandishing the shovel, as Lucille continued to scream at her. The blizzard was so thick now that she could see nothing around her, but she was certain she could make out a shape staggering towards them from the house.

"I said don't touch her, Lucille!" Thomas snarled, furious. Edith's heart leapt with relief at hearing his voice. Lucille's eyes widened, and she turned to face him, her expression pained.

"But Thomas..."

Thomas simply glared at her, his expression terrifying as he loomed over her. He had Florence on his left hip, held tightly against his side, her arms around his neck and her face buried in his shoulder against the cold. Lucille seemed to cower away ashe
gritted his teeth.

"Enough! I am in lovewithEdith, and I will protect her. You were only ever my sister, and to my discredit I let you corrupt my mind. We arefinished," he growled. Lucille saw the fire in his eyesand
recoiled, hesitated, then turned her gaze on Edith. Her sudden calm was deeply unsettling as she glided towards her.

"Either you kill me, or I kill you," she whispered, utterly crazed. There was a moment of stillness, and Edith could swear she saw regret in those eyes. But it was too late now. Before Thomas could do anything but turn Florence away, Lucille screamedand
lunged at Edith.

In pure terror, Edith frantically swung the spade, and hit her smack across the jaw. Lucille collapsed to the ground, having been killed instantly. Edith was strangely glad she had not suffered, for the sake of the child.

"I heard you the first time," she muttered.

She gasped at the air, dropping the spade and finding herself hysterical. She did not struggle as Thomas ran forward to catch her, wrapping her tightly in his other arm. He had jumped right over the body of his sister.

"Edith, darling, I'm sorry for everything. So sorry..." he mumbled, frenzied. Edith simply concentrated on breathing, clutching at his bloodied shirt as she allowed him to hug her close to him, rubbing her arm for warmth. She figured that her allowinghim
to touch her would show him she accepted his apology.