Evening fell over the farm in a golden hush. Candles flickered in their sconces along the hallways, casting warm light on the ancestral portraits that lined the walls. The scent of roasted duck with wild herbs drifted through the dining chamber, accompanied by the faintest touch of lavender and beeswax polish. The long mahogany table gleamed beneath silver candelabras, and crystal goblets caught the firelight like droplet...