Chapter 2

Ethan found me in the bedroom, still a little shaken.

"Eliza? Are you alright, darling?" he asked, his voice full of concern. The same concern he' d shown in the vision, right before he let Victoria destroy me.

"I'm pregnant, Ethan," I said, my voice carefully neutral.

His face lit up. "Pregnant? Oh, Eliza, that's wonderful news! Absolutely wonderful!"

He rushed to my side, pulling me into an embrace. "A Hawthorne heir! Father will be thrilled. We must tell your sister, tell Eleanor and Victoria immediately!"

I stiffened in his arms. Tell the Vances. Of course.

In my vision, that was the first step towards Victoria' s insidious involvement. Her feigned joy, her offers of "holistic guidance."

"No, Ethan," I said, pulling away gently. "Not yet. It's very early. Let's keep it our secret for a little while, please."

He looked surprised. "But why? This is news to celebrate!"

"I just... I want to be sure everything is fine first," I lied. "And honestly, with the pregnancy, I'm already feeling a bit... overwhelmed. I worry I won't be able to give you the attention you need."

A flicker of something – vanity? understanding? – crossed his face.

"Nonsense, my dear," he said, though a little less enthusiastically. "You're my priority."

"I know," I said, forcing a soft smile. "But you have needs, Ethan. Important needs."

I remembered Cindy, Mrs. Peterson's ambitious niece. In the vision, she and her aunt were Victoria' s eager accomplices, rewarded for their loyalty. Cindy had been my assistant then, a quiet, observant girl.

"Perhaps," I continued, "while I'm... adjusting... Cindy could help you more directly. She' s so eager to please, and very capable. She could manage your personal schedule, keep you company when I' m resting."

Ethan looked taken aback, then a slow, pleased smile spread across his face.

"Eliza, are you sure? That's... remarkably understanding of you."

He put on a show of reluctance. "I wouldn't want to impose on her, or make you uncomfortable."

"Not at all," I said smoothly. "Think of it as her... helping me, by helping you. She's my assistant, after all."

He considered it, the ambition in his eyes warring with a shallow sense of propriety. Ambition won, as it always did with Ethan.

"Well, if you insist, my dear. Cindy is a bright girl."

Later that week, Ethan began his affair with Cindy.

Mrs. Peterson, the Hawthorne' s long-time housekeeper, practically purred with satisfaction when she saw her niece receiving expensive little gifts from Ethan and spending more time near his study.

One pawn moved. Many more to go.