
a triangular common, clipped lawns, pretty houses, and a hedge through which Mrs Mulgrave could see the Fortis sisters come and go. Martha is honest and friendly. You step into this one-chapter preview with Mrs Mulgrave at the center, where choices turn on the people, promises, and pressure already in the room. The departing train had taken one man away, but it had left the neighbours with two sisters newly visible to one another. The chapter closes on a continuation question rather than resolving the novel's larger arc.
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