Suicide.
The next morning, Marianne gathers their belongings and prepare to leave for Southwark. But as she is about to depart, she discovers that Alice is nowhere to be found.
"Where is she?" Marianne asks, panic rising in her chest. "We're supposed to leave now!"
Alice tells her she is going to check on something since yesterday and she is not back yet.
"I'm sure she'll be here soon," the Viscount says, though he looks worried. "We'll give her a few more minutes, and then we'll look for her.
As they waits, the minutes ticks by, and still there is no sign of Alice.
A few hours later, the Viscount returns with a grim expression on his face.
"I have terrible news," he says, his voice shaking. "It seems that Alice has committed suicide."
Marianne feels the world go dark around her. It couldn't be true - it just can't be. She can't believe that the girl she's grown so close to this past month would do such a thing.