
Four days after your father's funeral, the sale of his beautiful possessions had confirmed that he left only debts. They speak of us in the back drawing room as though one household may select a picture and leave the pair. You step into this one-chapter preview with Ayala Dormer at the center, where choices turn on the people, promises, and pressure already in the room. One Sunday now stood between six weeks of separation and months abroad, testing whether either household would help two penniless sisters meet. The chapter closes on a continuation question rather than resolving the novel's larger arc.
Read Ayala's Angel