"...How long do you think this new wife will stay alive?"
Loretta's steps froze. She did not know who was speaking, but she guessed it should be one of the staff cleaning the rooms.
Another voice answered almost immediately.
"I say seven days."
"Seven?" A third maid scoffed. "Ah, I say three days at most. At least, the new Madam is sick."
Loretta's brows slowly knitted together. She remained where she was, listening. Although she knew of the rumours of Kevin's curse and had often thought about the fate of meeting her end like the other women before her, hearing them gossip about her like that felt quite uncomfortable.
The first maid lowered her voice.
"You're both being too generous. I'll bet twenty-four hours."
"What? How?"
"Twenty-four hours," the maid repeated confidently. "Don't forget, only the first wife survived for more than a few days."
The other two fell silent. The first maid continued, clearly enjoying the attention.
