Evelyn's POV:
The New Year's Eve family dinner was held in the formal dining salon of the Hillsborough estate, beneath heavy oak beams and a stone fireplace burning sweet hickory.
The table was set with white damask and polished Sterling silver. Robert Sterling, Adrian's father, sat at the head beside Margaret; Victoria, immaculately poised in dark emerald silk, sat directly opposite.
I was seated beside Adrian.
Throughout the meal, the atmosphere was tense and fragile. No one mentioned Nyorkshore County Supreme Court; no one spoke the name Ella Reed. In the Sterling family, domestic ruptures were buried under courses of French cuisine and vintage burgundy until Richard Vance could negotiate terms.
Margaret watched us from the head of the table, her gaze sharp, analytical, measuring e
