"Yes," Emma quickly chimed in, seeing that William was interested in what she had to say. "I met with Sophia this afternoon. She gave me a lot of tips on how to handle things."

William tossed his pen aside and stood up, adjusting his cuffs as he slowly walked over to the coffee table.

The food spread before him was a mismatch—sandwiches, creamy potato soup, plain pasta with water. It was obvious the dishes had been hastily thrown together by different ...