Drawing the Line

The Langford estate felt like a fortress disguised as a palace, its marble floors gleaming under the filtered afternoon sun. Staff moved about quietly, their footsteps hushed, their voices subdued, as though afraid to disturb the delicate tension that had settled over the household since the hospital incident.

But the silence was soon broken by a burst of laughter.

The quadruplets—Jamal, Kamal, Beauty, and Pretty came racing down the corridor, their small feet pattering ...