It was unmistakably a grand estate… on an island!

“Let’s go inside first—it’s windy out here,” Easton said, taking Hope’s hand as they approached the estate’s entrance. The gate recognized them automatically and swung open.

Inside, the marble-paved pathway stretched ahead, flanked by tall, leafless trees dusted with snow. At first glance, there wasn’t much to see, but Hope noticed the trees were all remarkably uniform in size. Clearly, they had been carefully selected and shipped over to the island for planting. Beneath them, faint patches of green peeked through the thin snow, though it was hard to tell what kind of plants they were.

James, Easton’s ever-dutiful assistant, whispered,...