The Weird Sisters: A Romance. Volume 2 (of 3)

The narrative follows a gentleman who, after a disastrous river episode, faces the apparent death or disappearance of his wife and the looming threat of public scandal. Consumed by dread and suspicion that she was aboard a lost vessel, he takes furtive measures — forcing a locked room by using wax in the keyhole — and discovers her unconscious from drink, which triggers a moral crisis over an inquest and ruined reputation. Concurrent episodes explore contested inheritances, a stranger at the family castle, the reading of a will, rival guardianships, and the lingering power of past wrongs on present prospects.