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The thought broke his heart

He should have noticed the signs in the beginning, th

e tell-tale quirks that confirratification from the attention of otherbased on nothing more than wealth and status

And his children were the ones paying the ultimate price for his stupidity

“Where shall we sit?” Rose placed the basket on the grass She put her hands on her hips and surveyed the area “What about near those trees? There’s shade, and it’s still close enough to the water’s edge”

“As you’ve coht will be suitable” He would speak to Mrs Hibbet on their return and send Rose into Abberton to purchase a few necessary items He pointed to the cluster of trees in the distance “I once carved my initials on the trunk of one of those trees”

“Which one, Papa?” Jacob spoke for the first ti the house

“I can’t remember See if you can find it”

He hoped to have aon the firstantics But Alice gripped Rose’s hand and tugged

“Coest piece of cake”

His children obsessed over sweet treats In the end, they all hurried across the grass to the copse

“Here it is!” Jacob cried, thoroughly pleased to be the first to find the s

They all gathered around the trunk The children took it in turns to trace the indents with their finger It occurred to hih

“The letters stand for Christian Knight,” he informed her

With wide eyes, she repeated his naht? As in the heroes sent to rescue damsels in distress?”