“Ask her to come here,” Sir Hale said again.

Jeffrey nodded.

As he stepped out of the study, his mind twisted in knots. As a father, he wanted nothing more than for his son to find happiness. But now, it seemed clear: Francesca had no intention of staying with the Hale family.

And another thought gnawed at him—he resented his wife. Her sharp tongue, her inability to let go.

The Hale family’s grand hall was steeped in silence. No one ...