Victoria returned to the room, happily spinning circles.

My former maid Chloe entered. "Congratulations, Miss. You successfully fooled him."

Victoria preened. "Of course. Two years of preparation."

But she didn't know what I knew: Alexander noticed everything. He just chose when to reveal it.

Chloe asked, "What about the young mistress's body?"

"Buried in the garden. Father saw to it himself."

My heart ached. My own father. The man who'd confined me at birth.

I drifted to the garden. Found the unmarked grave beneath the pear tree.

The tree was blooming. White petals fell on the freshly turned earth.

Nanny Beatrice was right. The pear blossoms were beautiful the day I arrived. And they bloomed again the day I was buried beneath them.