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“No, I couldn’t eat anything Maeve—”

“Maeve?” The door had opened without the, and a wo them She was short and plump, and when she smiled she had dimples either side of her mouth “I’m sorry Didn’t ht inside the roo the door behind her

Francesca felt a chill run down her back Was this the poisoner, the one she’d been waiting for?

“What do you want, Louisa?” Maeve said it so sharply that Francesca was taken aback She had never heard Maeve speak in such an unfriendly manner

“What do I want?” the woman said with a smirk “I wanted to ask you a question Yesterday Mr Dobson was asking ht ’ave had fro her any And then I remembered about that little packet you had delivered at the door that time Was that from the apothecary, Maeve?”

There was a strangely ominous silence Francesca looked fro sense of foreboding

“What little packet?” Maeve asked levelly “You’ve made a mistake, Louisa”

“No, I saw it right enough It was the boy froave you a little packet, and you paid him for it”

“I…” Suddenly she smiled, more like the Maeve Francesca knew “Ah yes, I reet the headache so fierce”

“Then ere you putting them into Madame’s coffee?”

Maeve stared, her s? How dare you…?”

/>But Louisa wasn’t about to be stopped “Madaets you to make her coffee, because you do it just the way she likes it No one else but Maeve can make Madame’s coffee!” she added, with a dimpled smile at Francesca that contained more than a hint of malice “It’s a bit of a joke with us, you see”

“You probably saith the sugar,” Maeve said flatly

“Oh no,” Louisa exclaiar It were those drops from the apothecary that the boy delivered Did Madame have a headache then? Maybe that was it?” Her accent was quickly slipping in the direction of the East End of London

Maeve’s gaze narrowed, and her face looked pinched “You’re wrong, or lying I didn’t put anything in Madas” She stood up,toward Louisa