By the next morning, the storm outside had blown itself out, but for Leah, the storm inside continued to swirl. She awoke still annoyed at her father's reckless behaviour and for being stupid enough to get himself into such a state. The fact that he would be nursing a bad head made her feel a little better.

"Did Eric manage to put Father to bed last night?" Leah asked as Emma pinned her hair in place.

"He did, Miss." She pushed another pin in place. "Anna is going to try to remove the stain from his shirt this afternoon, she thinks it might be wine, but she cannot be certain."

"Well, wine is better than him having been in a fight. I have known a grown man to be so idiotic."

"He will be feeling it this morning. I have heard that alcohol can cause terrible headaches if too much is consumed."

"Perhaps it will act as a deterrent and teach him a lesson." Leah ran her hands over her skirts. "I might go into the city later. I haven't enjoyed being cooped up in the house because of that storm."

"Very well, Miss. Just let me know when you wish to go."

"I will, thank you, Emma."

Emma curtseyed and stepped from the room, leaving Leah alone. She crossed the room, kicking some clothes under her bed, and approached the window. For the first time in days, she could look out on the London streets through a slither of sunlight rather than deep grey clouds. The city had scarcely changed over the few days she had been trapped inside, but she couldn't wait to wander the market stalls once again.

Perhaps it was a little hypocritical of her to criticise her father for walking the streets alone when she planned to walk the streets with Emma, but her life wasn't in danger. She wasn't heading out in the middle of the night with a threat hanging over her head. He should have known better.

Leah stepped out of her room and down the hall, her mother's door open to suggest that she had gone down to breakfast. Mr Manson's door was still closed. She climbed down the stairs, missing the squeaky floorboard near the bottom out of habit, and stepped into the dining room where her mother sat at the table.

"Good morning, Leah."

"Good morning."

"I heard from Anna that you had quite the eventful night."

"Eventful is not the word I would use." Leah took her seat at the table. "How are you feeling?"

"Far better than your father is likely to be. I expect he will be joining us soon. I saw Eric going into his room as I was coming downstairs."

Leah nodded and turned to the food on the table before her. She did not want to see her father until later that day, afraid that her anger would get the better of her. He hadn't scolded her for stepping out of line the night before because he was far too drunk to understand what was happening. If he joined them for breakfast, she would not be able to hold her tongue.

To avoid her father, Leah ate quickly. She ignored her mother's concerned reaction as she ate, focusing instead on the sunlight coming in through the window. The darkness that had suffocated the house, and the streets had lifted with the storm, allowing the sunlight to return to the streets.

The light had returned to London, but for how long?

Upstairs, Leah could hear her father shuffling around, his pace slower and more sluggish than he usually would have been. She held her breath. Mr Manston bumped around upstairs before Leah heard his footsteps descending the stairs. He failed to miss the creaking floorboard at the bottom of the stairs and stumbled into the dining room with a hand in front of his eyes to shield them from the bright sunlight.

Leah watched him shuffle to his seat, groaning and resting his chin on the palm of his hand with his eyes shut. Mrs Manston poured some coffee into a cup and nudged it towards him without saying a word. He opened an eye, seized the cup and drank a mouthful despite it still being scolding.

"That's better," he said after a minute or so. "If only it were possible to turn down the sun."

"Might we be privy as to why you felt the need to go to the public house and stumble home in the dead of night, James?"

"Mr Wentworth and I struck a rather lucrative deal yesterday. We will be distributing our cotton abroad in just a few months. They're to pay a healthy sum for it, too."

"And that gave you the belief that you were invincible and could walk home in the dead of night during a storm without anything happening? Even after the officers warned against it?" Leah said, raising an eyebrow.

"Leah, please," her mother warned. "This deal could be great for us."

"It might well be, but it doesn't make him invincible to whoever is walking the streets at night killing factory owners. They killed the last victim coming home from the local public house, he was set upon from behind, which very well could have been your fate, even if you don't match with the previous victims."

Mr Manston frowned. "How do you know that? About the most recent victim?"

"It was in the newspaper and Mr Ezra Wentworth mentioned it a few days ago." Leah waved her hand dismissively. "The point is that this killer is dangerous. Six men have already fallen at their hands and I doubt they're finished."

"I know, I'm sorry. Time just got away from us, and there were no carriages around to take us home."

Leah stared at her father, anger rushing through her. He was so dismissive of his actions, oblivious to what might have happened during his careless state. Her father might not be the same sort of factory owner as the other men, but he had a face that made him indistinguishable from them and it could easily end up being a case of mistaken identity.

An apology would not solve it.

"I'm going to the market with Emma. I need to get out of the house." Leah stood up, her chair scraping against the floor. She wanted to leave before she said something she regretted.

"I don't think that is a good idea," Mrs Manston said. "We need to talk about your behaviour."

"No, we don't."

With that, Leah left the dining room in search of Emma, her heart hammering away in her chest and blood roaring in her ears.

~~~

First Published - February 8th, 2023