“We will file these with the court this afternoon.”

“Thank you, gentlemen,” Alexander said.

The lawyers gathered their papers and left the room, their footsteps fading down the hall.

Alexander looked at me across the desk.

“How does it feel?” he asked.

“It feels strange,” I said.

“It will take some time to get used to,” he admitted.

He stood up and walked to the window.

“I want to show you something,” he said.

I joined him at the glass.

Down on the lawn, Ethan was running with Barnaby.

The dog was chasing a red ball, his paws kicking up small clumps of green grass.

Ethan was laughing, the sound faint but clear through the thick glass.

“He hasn’t laughed like that since his mother died,” Alexander said.

“He knew she was gone, but he also knew something was wrong in this house.”

“Children are observant,” I said.

“Yes,” he said. “They are.”

He turned to look at me.

“I made many mistakes after Eleanor died,” Alexander said.

“I thought I could replace her with a social standing.”

“I thought I could buy Ethan a mother.”