Adam Johnstone's Son

"Adam Johnstone's Son" by F. Marion Crawford is a story set in the late 1800s, about Clare Bowring and her mother, who are trying to move forward after the death of Clare's father, Captain Bowring. They go to Amalfi to recover, and their talks show how they feel about memories, social class, and new relationships. Clare thinks about her father after talking with her mother about remembering past relationships. When guests come from a yacht, Clare meets a young man named Brook Johnstone, and their conversations touch on life's big topics and love. Clare gets a peek at the complicated world of adult relationships when she sees Brook in a difficult conversation with a married woman, Lady Fan, leaving her uncertain about what love and trust really mean, and starting the building tension in the story.