The Doctor's Wife Chapter 13

In which we witness the languid existence of Roland Lansdell, a once-promising young man whose philanthropic zeal and ardent ambitions have given way to a weary disillusionment, as he drifts back into the languorous comforts of his family estate, overshadowed by lost love and unrealised hopes. The story delicately sketches the faded splendour of Lady Gwendoline, whose own aspirations and affections have withered amidst social tides, while both cousins confront the quiet melancholy of lives that no longer fulfil their once-bright promise.