riley renewed his relationship with bottsford in 1880, and the two corresponded frequently. their relationship remained unstable, but riley became deeply attached to her. she inspired his poem "the werewife", which told of a perfect wife who could suddenly become a demonic monster. bottsford pressed riley for marriage several times, but he refused. they broke off their relationship a second time in 1881 when she discovered his correspondence with two other women, and found he had taken a secret vacation to wisconsin with one of them.