Except, nothing had changed. They still were not living as man and wife. He didn’t love her. And she didn’t love him.
Right?
“I think it’s time for bed,” Violet said, patting her sister on the shoulder. “We’ve both had a tiring day, and we could use the sleep.”
“Have a good night,” Rosalie returned.
But there was something in the way she said it that made Violet pause. She peered at her sister. Was Rosalie… smirking?
No, she was imagining it.
“Goodnight,” she said primly, before exiting the room and closing the door firmly behind her.
For a long moment, she stood there, indecisive. Her room was just across the hall, and it would be easy for her to walk intoit and climb into bed. But James was downstairs in the parlor, and she could also go downstairs and insist that he sleep in their room tonight, after the eventful day they had.
But before she could decide what to do, she noticed the smell of smoke drifting down the corridor.
There are fires lit in all the rooms, she reminded herself. But as she continued to stand still, the smell became more potent. And then a thin tendril of smoke appeared at the end of the corridor.
Seconds later, there was a shout from downstairs.
“Fire!” she heard James roar. “The inn is on fire!”
Before she could even move, she heard the thundering sound of footsteps on the stairs, and then her husband rounded the corner, his face contorted with fear.
“Violet!” he shouted. “We need to get out, now!”
“This can’t be happening,” she said stupidly. “Not after everything that’s already happened today.”
“This is his revenge,” James panted. He sprinted down the corridor and grabbed her hand. “Where are your mother and sister?”
“Rosalie is in her room. My mother is downstairs, I believe.”
James threw open the door to Rosalie’s room, and Violet saw that her sister was out of bed, already pulling on a dressing gown.
“Let’s go!” James shouted. He grabbed Rosalie’s hand and pulled her out of the room, and with his other hand, he pulled Violet after him.
The three of them ran down the corridor, and Violet went first down the stairs. The smoke was thickening, and she was starting to feel lightheaded.
“Mama!” she shouted.
Lady Carfield was already waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. “Fire!” she cried, looking pale. “One of the cooks must have burned something…”
As fast as they could, the four of them hurried out of the inn and into the cold night. Rosalie wasn’t wearing shoes, and James actually picked her up and carried her away from the inn, depositing her safely across the street.
Violet couldn’t help but be impressed by her husband’s extraordinary strength.
The inn’s staff had also fled outside, and James turned to the men. “Quick, to the barn!” he shouted. “There’s water there for the horses. We can try to save the inn!”
He took off into the night, and several of the men followed him. Violet hugged her arms around her middle. It was colder outside than she had thought it would be.
The fire seemed to be coming from the back of the inn. The smoke was heavy, and against the darkness of the night, she could see a red glow of the flames just above the roof.
When James and the other men returned from the barn, they were hauling three barrels of water, which they carried around to the back of the inn. For several minutes, all she could hear was the shouting and swearing of the men. Her heart was in her throat.
“Where will we sleep tonight if it burns down?” Rosalie asked her after several minutes.
“We’ll find another inn,” Violet said. “The real question is, where will these people work if their livelihood is taken from them?”
