The sun had barely begun to rise over the quiet streets. The sky was painted in soft shades of pale pink and cool gray, bringing a new, hopeful morning to Hamilton House.
Inside the grand manor, the silence was absolute. The servants moved with quiet steps, mindful of the injured master sleeping in the vast bedchamber above.
Delaney was already awake. She had not slept much at all. She wore a simple, soft morning dress of light blue wool, her dark hair pinned back neatly from her face. She walked quietly down the long, carpeted hallway toward Rowan's room early in the morning.
Sarah walked closely behind her. The maid carried a porcelain bowl filled with warm water and a clean, soft linen towel draped over her arm.
