Chapter 28: Nathaniel Notices the Backbone

Margaret Hawthorne’s voice carried without effort.

It did not need to rise to dominate the table. It had been honed for rooms like this, sharpened by decades of being obeyed without challenge.

“Really, Catherine,” she said lightly, fingertips resting against her wineglass, “one would think you had never attended a proper gathering before.”

The table stilled.

Not silence. Suspension.

Catherine’s shoulders stiffened. Her smile remained in place, but it thinned past endurance. Lillian saw it immediately. The moment when politeness became a demand rather than a courtesy. The moment when humiliation was dressed as instruction.

“I did not realize there was a prescribed way to hold a fork that reflects one’s value,” Catherine replied carefully.

Margaret’s lips curved. Not kind. “There is a way to do everything correctly. Some of us simply learn earlier than others.”

A ripple moved down the table. Not laughter. Agreement.

Lillian felt Catherine’s hand tremble where it rested near her own. Cat