In Part Two of Chapter One, Lady Alianor’s world darkens. Though Sir Roland’s claim still lingers like a brand upon her skin, it is not his shadow that most threatens Hawksmere’s halls. Within her chamber, her loyal maid Bess lies fevered and fading, and Alianor’s remedies prove powerless against the creeping sickness. Desperation drives her to the one place she has sworn never to tread — the forbidden woods, where whispers speak of an outlaw healer, Eamon Thorne. Ash-stained, hunted, and feared, his name alone could condemn her. Yet with every faltering breath from Bess, Alianor’s choice grows cruelly clear. Step once more into the scandalous hours, where protection bears a price, loyalty becomes peril, and a widow dares the darkness in search of salvation.