London, September 1819

Jane stood anxiously in the parlor, watching the clock on the mantel. A footman had brought tea in, and she kept wanting to pour herself a cup to calm her nerves. It had been so long since she'd seen her son. At last, her letters to him had finally received an answer. He was coming here to speak with her, to reconcile after his father's death all those years ago.

The door to the parlor opened, and her butler escorted her son inside. Her heart ...