Leather & Lark

Ten days after the meal at her parents’ house, Lark finds herself unable to finish writing a song as she sits in her aunt’s room. Lachlan is concerned with how little she sleeps. He makes coffee and breakfast every morning and brings her gifts in the evening, but, despite these signs of care, he has not apologized for what he did to her during their first meeting. 

Ethel is not doing well, health-wise, and her prognosis is grim. She asks Lark to sing to her, and she obliges. Lachlan says that Lark can meet Leander and offers her a ride, which she declines. He leaves and sends her Leander’s address. Lark takes an Uber to the estate, along with the muffins that Ethel sent. (Ethel owns a food company and sometimes smuggles illegal items amongst her shipments.)

Leander points a gun at Lark when she arrives, and Lachlan protectively stands in front of Lark. Leander and Lark negotiate a deal that will allow Lachlan to retire. Leander samples Ethel’s muffins and drops to the floor, overcome by the drugs in them. Lachlan is appalled that Lark didn’t warn him about this, but Lark just shrugs. They go to Leander’s office to do research. Lark searches for Louis Campbell, but when Lachlan asks who he is, she sidesteps the question and clears the search history. Then they begin researching Ethel’s business rival, Bob Foster.

Lark visits Ethel and then leaves the Shoreview Assisted Living facility. She is surprised to find Lachlan waiting for her. He says that he is taking her somewhere but refuses to say where. When he says that the passenger seat is comfortable, she makes a joke about it being better than the trunk. Finally, Lachlan apologizes for what he did that night and adds, “I’m not going to ask you to forgive me because I want to earn it” (208). They talk continuously during the drive, and Lachlan stops at a sleep retreat. Lark is reluctant to leave her responsibilities, but Lachlan reminds her that she can call him, and he has no plans for the weekend.

Lark begins crying at her sudden suspicion that Lachlan is using her time away to have a tryst with another woman. Lachlan assures her that he takes his vows seriously, even if the circumstances of their marriage are unusual. Lachlan walks her inside, and she thanks him. He pulls her into a hug and kisses her temple.

Lachlan leaves the sleep retreat and keeps busy for several hours, then waits impatiently for Lark to call him. When she does, he admits that he’s actually still in his car at the retreat. He tells her that the sleep retreat is the perfect alibi for what they are really going to do.

Lachlan has arranged to have his associate, Conor, bind Dr. Louis Campbell to a chair in his own home. (Dr. Campbell is the man for whom Lark has been searching; he is the headmaster of Ashborne Collegiate Institute, which Lark attended as a student.) Now, Lachlan tells Campbell that he was taken because Campbell protected a teacher named Mr. Verdon when allegations of abuse were made against him. Campbell tells Lachlan that he cannot be killed, because he made a deal with the Montagues to help them cover up Verdon’s disappearance, and he is willing to give evidence to that effect to the FBI. However, Lachlan reveals that he has already taken the evidence from Campbell’s hiding place.

Lark enters the room, and Campbell begs for her help. Lark sews Campbell’s lips shut. As she sews, she tells Campbell and Lachlan about how Sloane helped her to fix her uniform after what Verdon did to her, after which Sloane got rid of Verdon. Lachlan offers Lark the gun, and she shoots Campbell. Lachlan stays to clean up the scene while Conor drives Lark back to the sleep retreat. Hours later, Lark calls and asks Lachlan to read to her so that she can fall asleep. He reads from the screenplay of her favorite movie, Constantine. Eventually, Lark falls asleep, and Lachlan mutes his phone but does not end the call, “[j]ust in case she wakes up” (234).