Her fingers crept up to smooth her silk scarf, pulling the knot tight against her throat.

“What administrative detail?” I asked him.

“Our lawyer, Stevens, drew up a standard quitclaim waiver for the Birch Street house,” Daniel said, resting his hand next to the paper.

“It waives your secondary heir claim on the title so the household finances can be consolidated without any trouble.”

“The title to the house is registered to Father’s estate,” I said.

“It’s only a formality,” Daniel said, tapping his heavy gold ring on the polished wood next to his plate.

“The bank’s underwriter needs one named primary own