His eyes held a mixture of deep sorrow and something else I could not quite read.

“Eleanor,” he said, taking off his wet hat.

“Arthur,” I said. “Did Victoria send you to make me sign more papers?”

“No,” Arthur said. “Victoria does not know I am here.”

He reached into the breast pocket of his wool overcoat.

He pulled out a thick, cream-colored envelope sealed with red wax.

My breath caught when I saw the wax.

It was stamped with the signet ring Garrett always wore.

“Garrett gave me this six months ago,” Arthur said, handing it to me.

The paper felt heavy and slightly rough against my fingertips.

“He told me to deliver it to you only if his children evicted you,” Arthur continued.

“He knew they would try,” I said, a bitter knot forming in my stomach.

“He knew them better than anyone,” Arthur said. “Read it.”

My hands shook as I broke the red wax seal.

I pulled out a single sheet of heavy parchment, covered in Garrett’s tight, neat handwriting.

My eyes watered as I read his first words.

*My dearest Eleanor,* the letter began.

*If you are reading this, it means Victoria and Charles have done exactly what I feared.*

*They have taken the house, and they believe they have taken your dignity.*

*Do not despair, my love, because they have only walked into a trap of their own making.*

I looked up at Arthur, my heart hammering against my ribs.

“A trap?” I asked.

“Keep reading,” Arthur said, his face solemn.

I returned my gaze to the page.

*The probate court has the will my children forced me to sign when I was weak,* the letter read.

*But that is not my final testament.*

*There is another will, Eleanor, legally binding and fully witnessed.*

*It leaves the entire estate, the accounts, and the land solely to you.*