The Doctor's Wife Chapter 36 Part 1

In which the solemn shadow of death descends upon Isabel Gilbert's life, enveloping her in a cold and remorseful stillness that renders her young widowhood painfully unreal, while the quiet attentions of those around her offer muted comfort amid the oppressive grief. And in the hushed grandeur of Mordred Priory, Isabel is summoned to the bedside of a gravely ill Roland Lansdell, whose presence stirs old emotions and shadowed revelations in the waning light of his life.