Chapter 20: Come In

Camilla's POV

I came into the ballroom through the front doors, in the green dress from the box Sheridan had brought to the garage.

My mother walked beside me in a navy gown with her hand through my arm.

The room was gold and white.

Four hundred people stood at round tables under three chandeliers, and every face was turned to the stage.

Sheridan stood at the lectern in cream bouclé, with a ribbon of white roses pinned at her shoulder.

She was halfway through her speech.

"...and some of you knew Chadwick only as the man who made every room feel lighter," she said.

Her voice shook just right.

"I want to thank my family for staying beside me in the hardest years of my life."

I walked down the center aisle between the tables.

Heads began to turn.

I heard the whisper start behind me and run ahead of me, my name moving through the room.

At the head table my father half rose from his chair.

His face went white.

At the table beside him the detective set down his glass.

I looked once toward the kitchen.

Two uniformed officers stood in the service door with their hands at their belts.

They were watching me, and they did not move.

My mother's arm tightened on mine.

They would not touch me in front of four hundred guests unless someone gave the word.

Keep reading free with an account. Start Revenge of the Scapegoat Heiress from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.