““Hiram said quietly. No response. Hiram could now see his father was breathing gently. Hiram backed out of the room and headed downstairs. He found Mother in the study that Father liked to call his office. She was in a chair, facing the hearth, and a fire was crackling away. Both hands were resting in her lap, and in them was a glass of sherry. Though it wasn’t cold, she had a shawl around her shoulders and was sitting as though she was chilled. Shoulders””
