"What's wrong?" Venus rushed into Karen's room, hearing a shout. She saw Karen's face pale with shock, her small hand scalded red.
"Bring cold water! Hurry!" Venus ordered the maid, who quickly brought a basin. They immersed Karen's burned hand. The rest of the family crowded in, showering Karen with concerned questions. Hannah was subtly pushed to the back of the group, her expression unreadable.
"Do you feel better?" Venus asked.
"Yes, much better," Karen nodded, her hand blistered. "How careless! The boiling water—" Venus scolded, then Karen quickly interjected, "Mum, don't blame Hannah."
Everyone turned to Hannah. The incident seemed to highlight a pattern of deception. Karen, unlike a hypothetical "wicked woman," seemed willing to go to any lengths to achieve her aims.
"It was my fault," Hannah admitted, explaining that she'd placed the boiling water near Karen, intending to let it cool, but Karen knocked it over while reaching for her. Janet also claimed responsibility. Hannah refused to yield to Karen's attempts to shoulder the blame.
Karen's eyes reddened, fearing Hannah would be scolded. Venus and Nancy reassured her, calming her distress. Karen's anxieties mounted, fearing Hannah would see her as a troublemaker, especially after accidentally revealing Janet and Oscar's past relationship. This fuelled the perception that Hannah had deliberately scalded Karen.
Hannah, however, remained calm. She kindly addressed the situation, mentioning Karen's apology for Pamela's earlier attack and framing the incidents as even. Karen, stunned by Hannah's tactful approach, realized she'd been outmaneuvered. Continuing wouldn't serve her, and she'd likely appear unreasonable.
Karen, usually adept at manipulating sympathy, found herself controlled. She smiled innocently, accepting a truce. Hannah recognized the Wells Manor's inherent drama, but not from fear of Karen, rather from the unnecessary entanglement within Oscar's sham marriage.
Venus praised Hannah's skill in calming Karen, mentioning Oscar's concern for Karen's emotional health. They both acknowledged Karen's emotional sensitivity. Karen, silently seething, listened, secretly plotting future schemes. The family dispersed once Karen's injury was deemed minor.
Hannah, back in Oscar's room, texted him: "Why didn't you tell me the 'someone' in your family was your sister?" Oscar's reply, "You already know?", led to a clarification concerning Janet. Hannah confirmed she didn't care for Janet. Oscar seemed to tease her about her feelings, before clarifying that Janet was not his ex-girlfriend. This left Hannah inwardly exasperated at Oscar's apparent misunderstanding of the term "ex."