CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTY EIGHT - The Final Countdown to Peace

"James Hawthorn," Ella breathed. "Could he be Isabella's mysterious lover?" Lucas nodded slowly, his mind racing. "It fits. A member of a prominent family, someone her parents might have approved of... but why would their relationship have been kept secret?" As they dug deeper, more pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. They discovered that James Hawthorn had been engaged to another woman at the time, a marriage arranged by his family to merge two powerful dynasties. His relationship with Isabella, if made public, would have caused a scandal that could have ruined both families. But the most chilling discovery came when they managed to access some of the Hawthorn family's private records, thanks to a sympathetic librarian who shared their passion for uncovering historical truths. Among the neatly kept ledgers and correspondence, they found a series of letters between James Hawthorn and his father, dated around the time of Isabella's death. The contents made their blood run