Chapter 20: Live Stream

Mr. Aldous walked out of the ballroom through the service door, and four hundred people watched him go.

Preston followed his father without a word.

Mr. Aldous did not look back at him once.

Lydia had slipped out of the east door in the confusion, and nobody had stopped her.

Jodie reached me first, crying and laughing, with her phone still up.

"Did you see her face?" she said. "I got her face. I'm going to put it on a mug."

"Jodie."

"I'm going to give the mug to your daughter."

"You don't know it's a daughter."

"I know it's a mug," Jodie said, and hugged me so hard my ribs creaked.

Margaret came next. She did not say anything.

She laid a hand against my cheek.

Her palm smelled of roses, and I had to look at the ceiling.

Then Rowan's hand found the small of my back.

"You're white," he said. "Sit down."

"I'm all right."

"Sit anyway. I'll bring your wrap from the coat room."

"I'll come with you."

"Stay," he said, and kissed my temple in front of everyone. "I'll be two minutes."

He was gone longer than that.

I sat through a song from the quartet and a speech by a senator I didn't know.

Then Jodie's elbow found my ribs.

"He's been gone ten minutes," she said. "Where's the coat room?"

"Down the east hall."

"Your husband's been in there ten minutes with the door shut. I'm going to say what everyone's thinking."

"Don't."

"His wife is a very good-looking woman and he's late."

"Jodie."

I was already up.

The east hall was dim and carpeted, and the sound of the party fell away behind me.

The coat room door was half open.

I heard Lydia's voice before I saw her.

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