Bess fiddled with her silver and emerald bracelet, oblivious to the view through the window by which she sat. As usual, her mind was on William. They had spent last night together and the bracelet had been his latest gift to her. It was a little more expensive than she was able to afford, but if anybody noticed, she would say that she had saved up for it.

She smiled as she thought of the first gift he had presented to her shortly after they had begun their affair. It was a beautiful necklace made completely of diamonds and far too fancy for a young woman of modest means. Bess had given it back to him, explaining the situation, and he had promised to keep it for her until she became his wife. As he was already married, she didn’t think that would ever happen, but it was a lovely dream.

Though she was becoming less and less satisfied with their arrangement, Bess loved William and she knew he felt the same way about her. Even if she wanted to, she could never bring herself to leave him. Maybe she would remain his mistress for the rest of her life. Perhaps she would marry somebody else eventually, because she did want a family of her own, but William would always have her heart. Bess could not even imagine a life without him.

The train slowed and stopped, bringing the young woman out of her reverie. She was the only one disembarking at Castleton, which wasn’t a surprise considering how small the town was. After four years working in Whitby, it was hard to believe that she had once been content here. Collecting her bag, she stepped onto the platform, looking around for Tobias and spotting him a short distance away.

He waved and she strolled over to join him. “As always, thanks for picking me up,” she said. “How is Father? I hope he’s feeling better.”