Chapter 24: Heritage Committee Dinner

The residence sat above the river like a promise that had already been kept.

It was not ostentatious. Nothing about the place needed to prove itself. Stone steps worn smooth by time led into a hall that smelled faintly of old wood and citrus polish. Staff moved quietly, efficient without being visible. The kind of efficiency that assumed obedience rather than requested it.

Lillian arrived with Catherine.

They were shown in without announcement.

The dining room stretched long and narrow, a single table set with disciplined symmetry. Place cards marked positions with careful intent. Names written in an elegant hand that suggested intimacy while enforcing distance.

Catherine found her seat near the middle.

Lillian’s was at the far end.

Not hidden. Simply peripheral.

Catherine noticed at once. Her fingers tightened around her napkin, then relaxed as she lifted her chin. Drawing attention to placement only confirmed its purpose.

“It’s fine,” she murmured.

“I know,” Lillian replied. “That d