As Luke followed my father out of the kitchen, he caught my eye, giving me a subtle wink. I felt a surge of hope. Maybe, just maybe, this would be the breakthrough we needed.
Once they were out of earshot, I turned to Jane. "You're brilliant, you know that?"
She grinned. "I have my moments. Now, we just have to hope they don't kill each other in there."
For the next two hours, Jane, my mother, and I tried to keep ourselves busy while anxiously awaiting news from my father's study. We dusted the sitting room, rearranged flowers, and even started preparing lunch, all the while straining our ears for any sound of raised voices or slamming doors.
Finally, just as we were beginning to worry, the study door opened. Luke emerged first, a thoughtful expression on his face. My father followed,
