"Send her in."
Lucien's voice carried more authority than either of us actually felt in that moment, exhaustion and tension still thick in the room around Victoria's hospital bed.
The nurse disappeared, and a long moment passed before the door opened again, revealing a woman I didn't recognize at first, elderly, silver haired, dressed in the plain, practical clothes of someone who'd spent a lifetime avoiding attention.
"Mrs. De Villiers," she said, addressing me directly, her voice carrying a slight tremor. "My name is Ruth. I served your mother for nearly fifteen years, before her death."
My breath caught. "You knew my mother."
"I was her personal maid," Ruth said. "Before your father brought Victoria's family into the household. Before everything changed."
"Why are you here now," I
