A sister of hers had married a rich American, and was now a widow in falling health.

That sister's death might perchance endow her with the means of liberty; she hung upon every message from across the Atlantic.
She had a brother, too; a distinguished, but not a wealthy man.

Dr.
Derwent would gladly have seen more of her, gladly have helped to cheer her life, but a hearty antipathy held him aloof from Lee Hannaford.
Communication between the two families was chiefly maintained through Dr.Derwent's daughter Irene, now in her nineteenth year.

The girl had visited her aunt at Geneva, and since then had occasionally been a guest at Ewell.

Having just returned from a winter abroad with her father, and no house being ready for her reception in London, Irene was even now about to pass a week with her relatives.