Chapter 23: The Ashgrove Seat

The Ashgrove board met on Thursday in the top floor boardroom of the Ashgrove Marine tower.

I had never sat in that room as anything but staff.

Nine directors stood when I came in, which they had never done for Adelaide's ward.

Keir came in behind me on one cane.

He had given up the second crutch on Tuesday, and he didn't make a speech about it.

The long table had a leather chair at its head.

It was Adelaide's, and it was empty.

"Dr. Donnelly," the treasurer said. "We called this meeting to settle three items."

"Go ahead."

"The first is the Foundation's publications."

He slid a stack of printed pages across the table.

They were corrections, one for each of the eight papers.

At the top of each, where Adelaide's name had been, the line now read: Lena Donnelly, MD, first and corresponding author.

I looked at it for a long time.

Three years of my work had gone out into the world under another woman's name.

This was only paper, and it was the first time anyone had signed my name back onto it.

"Thank you," I said, and my voice was not entirely steady.

"The second is the Foundation chair," said the treasurer. "Adelaide has resigned through her lawyer."

"And the third?"

"Ashgrove Marine." A woman at the far end cleared her throat.

"Mrs. Ashgrove has been removed as chair, pending trial," she said. "The company needs someone who knows the yard."

"I know the yard."

"You know it better than we do," the treasurer said.

"You were six years old when you first walked it."

They looked at Keir.

He took a slim folder from his coat and laid it on the table.

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