Looking up at the big house, Amarante herself and strode towards the side gate. It was the biggest house she’d ever been invited to, if the terse note she’d received could be considered an invitation, but she refused to be intimidated.
‘You all right, mama?’ Harry asked, reaching up to take her hand.
Amarante let out a sigh, and tried to quiet her nerves. ‘Yes, baby.’ She gave him a reassuring smile, though she could tell he wasn’t convinced. In an attempt to distract him, she gestured to the garden they were walking through. ‘Look at the pretty plants.’
Harry scrunched up his nose, but indulged her by looking around. Amarante shook her head; he was too sensitive for his six years.
When she came to the back door, a man in a servant’s …show more content…
But to make the recipient sad or regretful was one thing, driving them to suicide was another. Even if she wanted to accept, to do what she did, Amarante needed to first harvest the emotion from a source. The kind of despair that would be required to tempt someone to kill themselves would mean the source would also have to be deeply suicidal.
‘Mrs. Snider, I’m familiar with the medicines you’ve supplied in the past, and I’m not asking for much more than that. If it is the death that unsettles you, well, I realise that you will not be able to guarantee that in any case. If Mr. Lawson feels only a quarter of the despair that Anna did, I will consider our contract satisfied.’
‘You must understand that I’ve never done this kind of thing. I don’t know where I would even start.’ That was a lie. The image of her husband, John, rose unbidden to her thoughts. Amarante squashed it back down.
Mrs. Bracewell didn’t reply immediately. Instead she picked up a small box from the table beside her and passed it to Amarante. When Amarante opened it, she found ten gold sovereigns. She snapped the box’s lid
‘You all right, mama?’ Harry asked, reaching up to take her hand.
Amarante let out a sigh, and tried to quiet her nerves. ‘Yes, baby.’ She gave him a reassuring smile, though she could tell he wasn’t convinced. In an attempt to distract him, she gestured to the garden they were walking through. ‘Look at the pretty plants.’
Harry scrunched up his nose, but indulged her by looking around. Amarante shook her head; he was too sensitive for his six years.
When she came to the back door, a man in a servant’s …show more content…
But to make the recipient sad or regretful was one thing, driving them to suicide was another. Even if she wanted to accept, to do what she did, Amarante needed to first harvest the emotion from a source. The kind of despair that would be required to tempt someone to kill themselves would mean the source would also have to be deeply suicidal.
‘Mrs. Snider, I’m familiar with the medicines you’ve supplied in the past, and I’m not asking for much more than that. If it is the death that unsettles you, well, I realise that you will not be able to guarantee that in any case. If Mr. Lawson feels only a quarter of the despair that Anna did, I will consider our contract satisfied.’
‘You must understand that I’ve never done this kind of thing. I don’t know where I would even start.’ That was a lie. The image of her husband, John, rose unbidden to her thoughts. Amarante squashed it back down.
Mrs. Bracewell didn’t reply immediately. Instead she picked up a small box from the table beside her and passed it to Amarante. When Amarante opened it, she found ten gold sovereigns. She snapped the box’s lid