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August 1918.
Mary is sitting in the library, attentively writing a letter when Margaret comes in. She quickly hides the letter as her twin stands beside her, "Mary, what are you hiding?"
"Nothing. It doesn't matter."
She sighs, "Since you're here, I had a question I wanted to ask you."
"What?"
"Are you truly going to marry Sir Richard?" Margaret asks, pouring herself a cup of tea, "Surely there's someone else you could marry. Evelyn Napier perhaps."
"I'm afraid that ship has sunk, Margaret," Mary replies, "Sir Richard is the only option. And perhaps I'll learn to love him in time."
"Can you?" she asks her sister, sitting on the couch, "I know you've been writing to Mr. Napier. I always thought the two of you would be quite well together. Whatever happened?"
"Nothing. Just a situation."
"Does it have anything to do with Mr. Pamuk?"
Mary snaps her head in her twin's direction, "What did you say?"
"I know what happened with Mr. Pamuk. I know that mama lied to papa about it and I also know he knows nothing of it."
Mary takes a breath, "How did you find out?"
"Matthew. When you told him, he asked if I helped in any way. Why didn't you come to me? I would have helped you."
"In all honesty, I wasn't thinking clearly at that moment," she tells her, "I was scared. So I went to Anna and mama. I couldn't have your reputation burn with mine."
"Your reputation isn't destroyed, Mary. It'll all disappear."
"Will it?"
Margaret shrugs and sighs, "I don't know. But what on earth happened with Mr. Napier? I thought things would have gone well."
"We have become closer. He was the one to tell me who leaked the story of Mr. Pamuk and I... but he's engaged. He's engaged and I need to move on. With Sir Richard."
"Very well, if you-" Margaret drops the tea cup suddenly.
"Margaret?" Mary asks, standing up and walking over to her twin, "Darling, whatever is the matter?"
"I-I don't know. I suddenly just became very cold."
Mary looks at her sister in concern as the pit in Margaret's stomach swells, the biggest it's been since the beginning of the war.
In the middle of the night, Mary comes into Margaret's room and shakes her awake, "Margaret, darling, wake up."
She stirs awake, "Mary? What are you doing awake? It's the middle of the night."
"S-Something's happened."
Margaret becomes more awake at the sight of her sister's face, "Mary, what is it?"
