William didn’t recover. His condition didn’t improve in even the slightest degree, and Leighton grew darker and more volatile by the day. Tom stayed as far out of his way as possible, and Leighton kept his promise — he came nowhere near Tom whenever he had the choice, seeing him only at dinner and on the few brief visits they made to William’s sickroom together. But as his frustration edged into despair, his mood seemed to infect everyone in the house, from the housemaids who slunk about their duties in despondent silence to Tom himself, who hadn’t been precisely filled with cheer to begin with. As often as he could, Tom left the house and explored the grounds, taking endlessly long walks around the lake and riding out through the woods that bounded the estate. The weather made such expedi
