The Corpse Bride, The Stepmother

Lydia Crane died from her stepmother's betrayal—but returned as a corpse bride: cold, silent, relentless. The world sees a monster. She sees a second chance. General Cedric Sunderic needs a mother for his children. Lydia needs a place to exist. A contract. Nothing more. But Sunderic Manor hides a murder. The children's mother didn't die naturally. Oliver, eleven, watches her with suspicion. Eileen, seven, presses Lydia's cold hand to her warm cheek. "You're not afraid of me?" "Why would I be? You're my mother now."