I stood by the window in the Shepherd's grand living room, watching the morning light spill across the manicured garden. Behind me, the sound of cheerful conversation and clinking dishes drifted from the direction of the dining room. The change in the household's atmosphere was striking—just yesterday, these same walls had contained nothing but despair and the looming specter of death.
"Mr. Knight?"
I turned to find Mrs. Shepherd standing in the doorway, her face glowing with health. No trace remained of the deathly pallor that had gripped her just twenty-four hours earlier.
"Mrs. Shepherd," I said with a slight bow. "You should be resting."
She waved away my concern with a smile. "I've spent enough time in bed. I feel marvelous—better than I have in months." She approached me, her eyes shining with sincerity. "Leopold told me everything. How you tried to help, how he turned you away, and how you came back despite that. I can never thank you enough."
