[Carter Mansion]
Morning draped itself gently over the Carter estate.
The garden was still damp with dew, the air cool and fresh as sunlight filtered through the tall hedges.
Gregory walked at an unhurried pace along the stone path with his hands clasped behind his back.
Beside him, Ursula Carter moved with practiced ease, a light shawl resting over her shoulders and her gaze sweeping across the roses as if she were greeting old friends.
"It's still beautiful," she said casually. "You have kept it exactly the way your father liked it."
Gregory smiled faintly. "He always hated too much change."
They walked in silence for a moment before Gregory cleared his throat.
"There is something I wanted to talk to you about," he said.
Ursula glanced at him sideways. "That tone usually means trouble."
He huffed softly. "You have always been good at reading people."
He slowed near the willow tree at the far end of the garden, the one Evelyn used to climb as a child.
