What Will He Do with It? — Volume 05

Montfort Court stretches across a sea of manicured parkland, its massive brick façade and endless gravel walks a testament to the pride of a bygone era. The estate’s sheer scale—twelve miles of uniform lawns dotted with a few towering oaks—sparks envy among the highborn, who admire the opulence yet can’t imagine such splendor as their own. Inside, the endless rows of identical windows reflect a world of order, but also a certain emptiness, hinting that wealth alone does not guarantee contentment.

Against this backdrop, Lady Montfort drifts along the garden’s wide gravel path, flanked by perfect dahlias that struggle to break the monotony. Her solitary stroll is interrupted by the sudden appearance of George Morley, an old Oxonian cousin, whose hurried greeting masks a lingering unease. Their brief conversation, set beneath a cedar, suggests underlying tensions and hints at secrets that may soon ripple through the polished halls of Montfort Court.