Rookwood Book 1 Chapter 7 - The Return

In which the sombre preparations for a funeral at Rookwood Hall unfold amidst the sweltering August evening, with tenants and visitors gathering under a crimson sky while the expected sexton is conspicuously absent. A travel-worn young nobleman arrives in the garden, his noble countenance marked by exhaustion and inner turmoil, only to be startled by the unexpected appearance of Peter Bradley, whose reaction betrays a profound surprise.