
Nearly ten childless years had passed since the Lady of Avenel married Sir Halbert Glendinning. His service keeps him beside Murray while this strong castle leaves me safe and alone. You step into this one-chapter preview with Roland Graeme at the center, where choices turn on the people, promises, and pressure already in the room. Roland slept while two absences, his grandmother's and Sir Halbert's, governed his new home. The chapter closes on a continuation question rather than resolving the novel's larger arc.
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