In The Grief of Stones, maid Osmin Tativin killed her employer Marquise Ulzhavel after a blackmailer sent the Marquise pornographic photos that Tativin posed for when destitute, because Tativin was terrified that the Marquise would fire her and tell other people about the photographs. But Marquise Ulzhavel valued Tativin’s work, and she was well known to be a champion of women’s education and other causes to help poor women and girls. Ulzhavel was already campaigning against pornographic photography and other methods of exploiting desperate women. If Tativin had confessed that she’d posed for the photos out of desperation, there’s a strong chance Ulzhavel would have the compassion to help her. Instead Tativin killed Ulzhavel out of blind panic.
