Chapter 1 - The Place at the Far End
Daniel did not even blink when his mother’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth.
Instead, he reached across the ivory tablecloth, poured himself a generous glass of the Burgundy we already owned three bottles of, and offered Rosemary the practiced, boyish smile that had gotten him out of trouble since prep school.
"I meant Maggie and me eventually, Mom, once you decide this old drafty place is too much trouble to heat through another New England winter," Daniel said smoothly.
Rosemary set her silver fork down against the rim of her porcelain plate with a single, deliberate click that sounded like the cocking of a revolver in the quiet dining room.
"How thoughtful of you to worry about my heating bill while sitting beneath a chandelier your father wired with his own two hands, Daniel," Rosemary replied, her voice as cool and dry as aged gin.
Beside Daniel, Jade Prescott shifted uncomfortably in my chair—the chair where I had sat for seven consecutive Thanksgivings—and smoothed the skirt of her dark green dress over her knees.
My unborn daughter pressed her heel hard against my ribs again, as if she too objected to being relegated to the foot of the table near the swinging kitchen door.
"The stonework on the east terrace really is extraordinary, Missus Hollis," Jade said quickly, trying to rescue the conversation while avoiding my eyes completely.
"Daniel was telling me on the drive up that the structural beams in the carriage house are solid white oak from the eighteen-nineties, which is almost impossible to source for modern hospitality renovations."
Hospitality renovations.
There it was, slipped right between the cranberry sauce and the herb stuffing like a knife hidden inside a folded napkin.
HM Conversion did not stand for a simple remodel of our master bathroom—it stood for Hollis Manor Conversion, and my husband had brought his mistress to Thanksgiving dinner so she could inspect my mother-in-law’s home like a commercial real estate listing.
I watched Daniel’s left boot move beneath the tablecloth to tap Jade’s ankle in a sharp warning to shut up, though neither of them realized the polished mahogany mirror on the buffet behind them reflected everything below the table.
"More gravy, anyone?" I asked pleasantly, rising from my chair at the far end of the table before the silence could curdle into a fight I wasn't ready to have yet.
I picked up the empty crystal water pitcher and pushed through the swinging oak door into the butler’s pantry, letting out the breath I had been holding for twenty minutes as I braced both palms against the cool marble sink.
Ten seconds later, the pantry door swung open again and Jade stepped inside carrying the untouched platter of roasted asparagus, her gold earrings catching the recessed cabinet lights.
She didn't look like a triumphant homewrecker as she set the platter down beside the sink and glanced nervously back toward the closed dining room door.
"Maggie, I just wanted to say I am really sorry if my being here tonight made things awkward with Rosemary," Jade whispered, leaning in close enough that I smelled the expensive sandalwood perfume Daniel had claimed was a complimentary sample from his barber last month.
"You don't need to apologize for Daniel's lack of manners, Jade," I said evenly, turning on the brass faucet to fill the pitcher.
Jade let out a quiet sigh of relief and rested a manicured hand gently on my arm, looking down at my thirty-two-week-pregnant stomach with a strange, possessive tenderness that made every hair on the back of my neck stand straight up.
"I know the third-trimester hormones must be brutal on you, Maggie, especially pretending for Rosemary's sake that you and Daniel haven't been legally separated since last winter," Jade whispered softly.
May you like
I froze with the heavy crystal pitcher halfway under the running water, my heart slamming against my breastbone as Jade smiled warmly at my swollen belly and delivered the lie my husband had used to bait his hook.
"Daniel showed me the private surrogacy contract you two signed before the embryo transfer in March, and I swear to you, as soon as you deliver our baby girl in January, I will personally make sure he pays off the rest of your nursing school loans so you can start your new life."
