The ExperimentThis trip to Diamond Manor was entirely different from the last one: we were let through at once. Gardena Diamond, all smiles, met me at the carriage.
Gardena shared the dark, dark skin of her brothers. She wore a deep purple house dress, her raven curls loose around her shoulders like a young girl, hair caught up in a band embroidered in purple flowers with green leaves. “You look lovely,” she said, drawing me up the white stone path. “We’re so happy you’ve come to call.”
Before we reached the porch, I said, “How is Jon, really?”
“Better,” she said. “But you’ll see for yourself.”
The old butler who’d been there the last time opened the door for us, and we went to the parlor, where Jonathan sat in his wheeled chair, still wearing deep mourning. This time, he didn’t lie ba
